Imperfectly Bound: A Second Chances AU
by Twilight016
Summary: AU to Second Chances: Gwen is a new student at Mystic Falls High. She soon discovers the small town her uncle moved her to is full of impossible and dark secrets, and Damon Salvatore is hellbent on discovering hers. There's one catch though: Gwen is doesn't have any big secrets. Starts in S1; not necessary to read Second Chances or Time's up. DamonOC
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The bright, morning sunlight streamed in through the make-shift curtains, settling near the top of the bed. But that's not what woke up Gwen. No, instead of the gentle, warm light, she had been awoken by her uncle's blaring '80's rock music — and at six a.m. no less. Groaning, she tried to block out the noise with her pillow. It was a wasted effort, however. Her uncle was soon drumming along the walls as he walked down the hall, throwing the door open as he reached her door.

"Rise and shine!" he bellowed into her room.

She threw the pillow at him, which he caught, and sat up to glare at him. "We don't have to do this every first day of school, you know," she complained. "I'm capable of getting up _and_ getting to school on my own."

Ric chuckled, a rare occurrence these days. "It's our first day at a new school, I have to make sure we both make a good first impression."

"Except I'm not going in with you, remember? I'm walking."

Ric rolled his eyes. "Get up and come eat. I'm making a full, real breakfast today."

"Feeling guilty about making me switch schools a month into my junior year?"

"Never," he said dramatically. He started to walk downstairs but paused, "I won't insist on an outfit check today, but remember the shirt and jeans I keep stored in the car."

"Oh god, it was one time! And I was making a statement!"

Still amused, Ric managed to sound slightly authoritarian with his request. "No statements today. It'll be a bad start for me if I can't even control my niece."

"Whatever," Gwen muttered, pushing off her sheet and comforter. "Go make me breakfast."

Ric mock-saluted as he closed the door behind him. Once she was sure he had taken his jam session downstairs, Gwen got up and walked over to her phone, which was currently housed on her desk. They had only been in the house a few days and Gwen was still figuring out how she wanted her room set up. She obviously needed to rearrange so the phone could be plugged in and left on the nightstand.

A feeling of disappointment settled over her as she saw she had no new messages. She'd only been gone a week, but she guessed that was enough time for her friends to forget about her. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the feelings of abandonment aside. Today was a new start, and it wouldn't do her any favors to pout about crappy friends. Setting her phone back on the desk, Gwen moved on to getting dressed.

Gwen had moved in with her uncle Ric after her mom died from cancer. The transition from Philadelphia to Boston had been rough, but Gwen's hadn't had much of a choice since she was a minor and Ric was her only living family. Well, her dad may have been alive, but he had been out of the picture since she two, so who really knew. So, she moved in with her recently-widowed uncle. For the first month, it was as if two ghosts occupied his apartment. Then came the dress code violation. It hadn't been that big of a deal, not really. But Gwen had been looking for a fight, somewhere to release her anger, and the administrator bitching about her skirt length when she was wearing leggings was the perfect target. Until she was facing suspension.

Ric snapped back to reality after that. He enrolled her in kickboxing classes to give her an outlet for her anger, and became much more involved in her life, encouraging her to join the yearbook staff and instituting an outfit check every morning. Gwen had hated him; she just wanted to be left alone. Eventually, she stopped being angry all time. She wasn't back to her old self; but she was better, and a little stronger now. Begrudgingly, she could admit some of that was due to her uncle, though only to herself.

Then he got a job in Mystic Falls, Virginia, and uprooted her from everything. Gwen tried to not be too upset with him. It was his first position out of graduate school. However, she couldn't help but wish he had found a job in Boston. Now, she was on her third high school in as many years. Gwen was tired of starting over.

She surveyed the small sampling of clothes she'd managed to unpack. Gwen wanted to look nice but not make a statement that potentially aligned herself with a clique. She settled on a fitted, black and grey plaid skirt that stopped just above her knees, a light-blue band tee, and knee-high black boots.

"Pancakes will be ready in ten minutes!" Ric hollered up the stairwell. Sighing, Gwen made her way to bathroom to finish.

Her tired, pale face greeted her when she entered the small bathroom she shared with her uncle. She could make out the beginning of a breakout along her hair line and was suffering from serious bedhead. Gwen pulled her long, dirty blonde hair into a ponytail so she could wash her face. Her makeup process was fast — a quick application of foundation and a little eyeliner and eyeshadow — but her hair took a little longer. Gwen had never been adept at using the curling iron. By the time she managed to get the loose curls, it was seven and Ric had been yelling about breakfast for fifteen minutes.

"All right, I'm coming," she yelled, walking down the stairs.

Navigating the main level was a challenge with boxes piled everywhere, but she eventually made her way to the kitchen. Ric had made a feast of pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs. He was definitely feeling guilty.

"I have to head out, make sure everything is ready," he said as she sat down to eat. "You need to leave here by seven thirty and be in the office by seven forty-five for your orientation. Got it?"

"Got it."

He watched with some concern as she all but drowned her pancakes in syrup. "Go easy. I don't want you crashing by second period."

"Take your coffee and go," Gwen said, growing annoyed with the never-ending instructions. She knew he was nervous, but he needed to focus that nervous energy elsewhere. Sensing her mood, he held up his hands in surrender.

"See you in fourth period," he said, grabbing his things and heading for the door. "Don't forget to lock up!"

Gwen rolled her eyes, choosing not to respond.

The house was too quiet with Ric gone, so Gwen turned on the TV. She really couldn't handle silence. She always needed some sort of background noise. It drove Ric crazy, but they'd worked it out, each taking turns using headphones. The TV had been left on the local news station, which was running a report about a drug deal gone bad. Gwen was shocked by the violence of it. She never would have guessed something like that could happen in a small town like Mystic Falls.

She finished her breakfast with just enough time to brush her teeth and do one last backpack check. Walking to school wasn't her first choice but Gwen didn't have car or want to go in early with Ric. Though they lived in an older, not as well-kept part of town, the house was only a fifteen-minute walk from the school. Currently the weather was mild enough that walking wasn't so bad; it was actually nice that morning. But the first rain storm or hint of cold and she would be miserable. Maybe she could finally convince Ric to use some of the money from her mom for a car. She had her driver's license now, after all.

Too soon she reached the school, having barely started the fourth song on her iPod. It was an old one-story, brick building that had been built onto as the student population grew, giving it a sprawling look. Despite its physical size, this would be the smallest school Gwen had ever attended. Back in Boston and Philadelphia, she could have named around fifty people in her class. She had a feeling that everyone knew everyone in Mystic Falls. Gwen wondered when the last time was that they had a new student.

Gwen found the main office easily enough. The small office was empty except for the assistant at the front desk. The woman was engrossed in the newspaper she was reading and hadn't noticed Gwen enter the room. Awkwardly, Gwen cleared her throat."

"Good morning, I'm Gwen Ashwood," she said, affecting her most pleasant tone. "I'm here to pick up my schedule?"

The woman smiled warmly at her. "Oh, yes, Mr. Saltzman's niece. We're so happy to have you both. Let me see, I have your things ... right … here!"

She located Gwen's paperwork on top of a metal filing rack in the corner of her desk. Gwen had expected her schedule and a copy of the student handbook. She was more than a little surprised by the thick, red folder handed to her.

"On the left side of the folder, you'll find your schedule, a map of the school, and the student handbook," the assistant explained. "On the right, is a list of events and clubs for the school. We've arranged for you to have a guide today, but Miss Forbes seems to be running a little late. You can a seat over there."

Gwen thanked her and sat in one of the straight-backed, thinly-cushioned seats along the white cinderblock wall. Ric hadn't said anything about a tour guide. That was more embarrassing than everyone finding out he was her uncle, which was inevitable. Gwen hadn't thought anything about his 'fourth period' quip earlier, but it appeared she would see him in her last class before lunch. He wasn't _a_ history teacher, but _the_ history teacher. It was going to be a long year.

"I'm sorry I'm late," a blonde girl said as she hurried into the office. "Is she here?"

"Right over there, Miss Forbes," the assistant said with air of slight amusement as she pointed at Gwen. Gwen gathered her things and stood up to meet the girl.

"Hi, I'm Gwen — "

"Gwen Ashwood," the girl interrupted. "I'm Caroline Forbes. We have almost all the same classes, so I'll be with you most of the day. Including lunch, if you want to sit with me and my friends. I promise we're not at all weird. Cute outfit by the way."

Caroline said all this very quickly as she led them through the crowded hall to first period English. She was a little overwhelming and very bubbly, but Gwen could see herself hanging out with the girl. She reminded her of friend she'd had in Philadelphia in middle school.

"Where did you move from?"

"Boston. I live my uncle and he just got a job here."

"Ugh, I'm so sorry. Mystic Falls probably feels like the middle of nowhere to you, but I promise we're not boring. There's plenty to do around here. Why do you live with your uncle?"

"My mom died about a year ago from cancer. My dad walked out when I was little."

"I know how that is," Caroline said sympathetically. "The absent parent, not the dead parent. Oh God, I'm so sorry! I always put my foot in my mouth!"

"No, it's ok," Gwen said with a small laugh. Caroline still looked upset, so she added, "Really, that was not at all offensive and so much better than the "I'm sorry for loss" response which is always awkward."

"Thanks," Caroline said, her confidence returning. "So were you involved in anything at your old school."

"Sort of, I took photos for the yearbook staff. Outside of school I did kickboxing but that doesn't seem to exist here. My uncle's been stocking up on at-home instructional videos but it's not the same."

They'd finally reached the classroom, Caroline leading them to a couple of seats in the back. Gwen usually sat more toward the middle, but she was enjoying having someone to talk to and not being the awkward new kid who didn't know anyone.

"Yeah, the kickboxing phase skipped us, but yoga seems to be taking root," Caroline commented. "I've even started adding it to our cheerleader practices. I'm the captain, by the way."

"Congrats," Gwen said, trying to keep all sarcasm out of her voice — and failing. "Are you dating the football star, too?"

Caroline looked so offended; Gwen had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing. "Ew, no. He's a …. Well he's not really the star anymore. But no, no football players for me. Plus, I just got of this complicated relationship with this creep. I probably need to 'find myself', or whatever. What about you? Break any hearts when you left Boston?"

Gwen blushed slightly, more out of embarrassment than anything. "Can't say _I_ did, but he broke mine at the beginning of the summer. He wanted to 'explore his options.' Honestly, not having to see him anymore is the best part of the move."

The final bell rang, signaling the start of class and the end of their conversation. Gwen had English, Algebra II, and Virginia History with Caroline but was on her own for third-period French. She found she was actually a little ahead in most of her classes, which was a relief. All too soon, it was time for class with Ric.

She entered the classroom to find Ric bent over his desk, pretending to review his lesson plan, and Caroline waving at her. She took the empty seat on the left of Caroline, who immediately started talking.

"So, this is Bonnie," she said, indicating the pretty girl on her right with long, dark curls who was busy texting. Pointing to the two people in front of them, she continued, "And that's Elena and her boyfriend Stefan. He's new here, too. You'll get to meet them all at lunch."

Gwen was glad they were all busy with their own conversations. She wasn't looking forward to being put on the spot more today. At least Ric wouldn't do the new student routine her other teachers had, or so she hoped.

"You're not the only new person today," Caroline said. "The history teacher is new, too. Our last one was killed by a wild animal at a football game a few weeks ago."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, it was pretty horrible. The guy was terrible, though. This new one is already an improvement. He's pretty cute for a teacher."

Gwen fought the urge to gag. She knew the other teacher had died, but assumed it was from an illness, not an animal attack. What kind of animal would have wondered near a loud, crowded stadium and attacked someone? Did that kind of thing happen regularly here?

Ric started class before she could ask Caroline any of her questions.

As a way of introduction, Ric explained the origin of his name. He even went as far as to make a joke of his first name. Gwen only half-listened, having heard this spiel already. Name origins were of particular interest to her uncle for some reason; she'd grown up hearing him tell anecdotes at holidays. She rolled her eyes at the half-hearted laughter given by some of her classmates. Sadly, he didn't stop there.

"Unlike my parents, my sister was kind when naming her child. Gwen Ashwood is not only my niece but your new classmate. Say 'hi' Gwen."

Blushing furiously, Gwen slid down in her seat. Caroline and a few other students stared at her with slight surprise and a few laughed, but that was the extent of the reactions to her uncle's announcement. Gwen still planned to kill him later.

The class proceed without another incident, though Gwen refused to acknowledge Ric as she followed Caroline to lunch. As soon as they were outside of the classroom, Caroline rounded on her.

"Why didn't you say the new history teacher was your uncle?"

"Because," Gwen said between gritted teeth, "I didn't want anyone to know. God, he's so embarrassing."

"It wasn't that bad," Caroline said sympathetically. "At least he's not the town sheriff."

"Is that your dad?"

"Worse, my mom. She's a total buzzkill."

The cafeteria was packed full of students who were all talking at once. Gwen could barely hear Caroline over the noise, so she silently followed her through the lunch line. She was relieved when Caroline led them outside, where it was noticeably quieter, to a bench that was occupied by some of the people from history class.

Plopping her tray down, Caroline said, "All right, this is Gwen. Gwen this is Bonnie, Elena, and Stefan."

Gwen muttered self-conscious hellos at them and sat beside Caroline, feeling a little out of place next to her model-like friends. Stefan, in particular, looked like he belonged in a magazine or on some teen TV soap as opposed to a high school courtyard. Despite his looks, there was something off about him. Maybe it was the intense stare he was giving her, as if he was trying to x-ray her mind.

"You just moved here?" he asked.

"Yeah, we got here last Tuesday and have been unpacking ever since." Gwen lowered her gaze to avoid his, picking the lettuce and red onions off her burger as a distraction.

"That's fast," Elena commented, her long, brown hair falling over her shoulder as leaned forward. "Weren't you in school already?"

It was a dumb question since they were almost at the end of October, but Gwen kept the annoyance out of her voice. "I was, but my uncle just finished his graduate degree and needed a job. This was the first offer he got."

"Well, he would have to be desperate to come here," Caroline said disparagingly.

"Are you kidding? An old town like this is a dream for him. I had a private Mystic Falls history lesson on the drive down."

The others laughed, and Gwen began to feel a little comfortable around them. However, she was thankful when Caroline changed the conversation to that of the Halloween party on Friday. Elena and Stefan were noncommittal, but Bonnie was onboard instantly for whatever Caroline's group costume idea would be, happy to let Caroline figure it out.

"What about you, Gwen?" Caroline asked, turning to her. "You in?"

"Sure." It wasn't an enthusiastic response, but Caroline took it as one. Gwen knew she would have to check with Ric first, but she was confident he would let her go. He wanted her to fit in and have friends. Going to school dances with people her own age was a step to all of that.

The rest of the day passed quickly. After classes, Gwen met up with Caroline who took her to the yearbook room. Gwen was introduced to the editor, a senior named Claire, and welcomed on as a new staff photographer. The school didn't have enough resources to produce an actual paper, so the yearbook staff compromised with a weekly newsletter. Usually, it was photo-heavy, but they'd been struggling to fill it as the current photographer was unreliable. Claire was very clear about the expectations for remaining on staff. Gwen assured her they wouldn't have any problems and was welcomed to stay for the staff meeting. Waving good-bye to Caroline, who had to get to cheerleading practice, Gwen took a seat at the rectangular folding table with the other staff members.

* * *

Two hours later, Gwen was walking to the Grill to meet Ric for dinner. Though the walk wasn't long, Gwen grew chilled as she walked to the center of town. She hadn't planned for the cooler temps of the evening when she'd picked out her outfit that morning and was paying for it now. Fortunately, Ric would drive them home after dinner.

It was a moderately busy night at the Grill with about half of the tables occupied and the game area full of middle and high school kids who needed a break from their parents. Gwen scanned the room and quickly found Ric hulled in a booth. Navigating the maze of tables and oblivious fellow patrons, she joined in the somewhat isolated booth.

"I ate without you," he said without preamble, handing her a menu. "I take it you had a good first day?"

Gwen hummed in agreement as she perused the menu. "Except for fourth period. My teacher's a bit of an ass."

"I'm sure your teacher is a perfectly intelligent and kind, and you are just being a sensitive teenager," Ric said while wearing a slight smirk.

"Whatever," Gwen muttered, rolling her eyes.

One of the waiters came to take her order. He was blond and muscular; Gwen was sure he had been in one of classes earlier that day but couldn't place him. Her suspicions were confirmed when Ric thanked him by name — Matt — after she placed her order for a hamburger and fries.

"He's in your class, by the way."

"It's only the first day, I can't be expected to remember everyone already."

"You always have an excuse," Ric teased. "Besides fourth period, how did today go?"

Taking a sip of her water, Gwen thought over the question. "Not horrible. It was kind of nice to have Caroline around, especially at lunch."

"Think she could be a possible friend?"

Gwen shrugged noncommittally. "Maybe."

Ric rolled his eyes at her teenage, blasé attitude but didn't comment on it. "And yearbook? How was that?"

"The editor's pretty intense. She has a lot of goals, but their resources are nowhere near what we had at my old school. I don't think it's going to be much work."

"You'll have other ways to build your portfolio that don't involve awkward sport photos," Ric consoled her, both cringing inwardly at the memory of boys' wrestling. "Speaking of work," Ric said as he slid a piece of paper toward, "I took the liberty of picking this up for you. The manager needs the paper filled out, but you're basically hired. He's had a lot of staff skip town recently."

The paper was an application for a server position at the Grill. Ric had been on her for a year to get a job, swearing it was just as important as extracurriculars. She'd been able to pacify him with babysitting and dog walking while they were in Boston. Apparently, that was over.

"Gee thanks," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I see you've already filled out most of it, too."

Ric grinned. "Just trying to be helpful."

"Do I have to?" she whined, pushing the paper away from her.

"Give it a chance, you might enjoy it. It's probably one of the better places to work, right Matt?"

Matt had returned with Gwen's dinner in the middle of Ric's pitch. Gwen's face flushed red with embarrassment as he handed her meal.

"Yeah, it's one of the top ten places to work in Mystic Falls," Matt quipped, earning a laugh from Ric — and probably a better tip. Gwen rolled her eyes, thanking Matt for the food.

"I hate you," Gwen said after Matt left to see to other tables.

"I'll live. Will you at least give it a try?"

"It's not like I have a choice," she muttered.

"Give it a month. If you hate it, I'll let you quit," Ric bargained. Mouth full of burger, Gwen could only nod her agreement. It'd be nice to have some extra cash, anyway.

"Do you know that woman?" she asked between bites, indicating the strawberry-blonde sitting diagonally from them. She was eating with a young teen who Gwen didn't know. Subtly, Ric looked behind him.

"No, but that's Jeremy Gilbert sitting with her. I think that's his aunt; I know he and Elena live with her since their parents died." Gwen stared at him, surprised. "Teachers like to gossip. I keep telling you this."

"Whatever," Gwen said with a wave of her hand. "She's pretty and has been checking you out since I sat down. You should go over and talk to her."

It was Ric's turn to be surprised. "Are you really giving me dating advice?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, now go."

Gwen finished her meal alone, completing the application as she ate. Ric and Jeremy's aunt were still talking when she was ready to go. Despite their headbutting, Gwen did want her uncle to be happy again. He'd been so miserable since Isabelle's death. So even though she really didn't want to walk home, she didn't want to interrupt him even more. Taking a scratch sheet of paper out of his bag, she wrote a quick note for him. She also grabbed some cash from his wallet to pay for their meals. Then she quietly slipped out of the Grill and into the cool, autumn night.

The cool night air shocked her system. Pulling her jacket tighter, Gwen set off across the parking lot. Even though it was only eight, it was already quiet out — almost eerily so. Gwen didn't think she could ever remember a night this quite in Philadelphia or Boston, even at two or three in the morning. Gwen found herself missing the sounds of the city, suddenly feeling exposed as she walked the deserted street toward her new home.

As she walked, she couldn't stop herself from jumping at unfamiliar sounds and turning around to identify them. Gwen picked up her pace, telling herself it was because of the cold and not because she felt as though she was being followed. Finally, she turned the corner to her street and was met with an unusual sight: Fog was literally rolling in, making her street look like something out of a horror movie. Though cold, she fumbled with the camera bag, wanting to get a shot of the spooky scene. Just as she was about to get the camera out, a drawling voice from behind startled her so badly she actually squealed in surprise.

"Are you all right, miss? I didn't mean to scare you."

Embarrassed, Gwen turned around. The voice belonged to an attractive, dark-haired, sharp-jawed man. Judging by how held himself, he knew and was very confident about his looks. He looked young, but she could tell he was a few years older.

Collecting herself, she quipped, "If that was true, you wouldn't have been walking behind me in the dark."

The man smirked, sauntering closer. Gwen let the camera fall back into the bag, clenching the strap in case she needed to use the camera as a weapon. Ric could always buy the school a new one. Eyes narrowed, she studied him as he came closer and could have sworn his smirk grew deeper.

"I truly didn't mean to scare you," he said. He meant it to sound sincere, but Gwen could hear the sarcasm underneath. "I thought you needed help."

"I don't. I was trying to get the camera out to take a picture of the fog — " She went to gesture behind her, but noticed it was all gone. "Weird, it was just coming in. I've never seen fog dissipate that fast before."

Gwen noticed the man observing her and stopped talking. She probably sounded crazy to him.

"So, you stopped on a dark street to take a picture of fog? I didn't peg you for the goth type," he said drily.

"I'm a photographer," she said defensively. "It'd have been a cool shot for my portfolio if I hadn't been interrupted."

"Sorry for ruining it. You'll get another chance for your not-emo shot. Mystic Falls gets more than its fair share of fog."

Gwen rolled her eyes, repositioning her bag on her shoulder. Part of her wanted to explain that it wasn't just the fog that made the shot, but she knew it was pointless. Plus, now that the shock of the man's appearance had worn off, she remembered how cold she was.

"Great, well, have a good night." As she turned away from him, he stepped into her path. She took a step back to put some space between them as heart-pounding, sweaty-palm panic flooded her senses. Their conversation had put Gwen at ease, but now she remembered she was alone at night, on a deserted street with some random guy, who could easily overpower her. The house was only a block away, but she didn't think she could outrun him.

"Can I help you?" she asked, growing more unnerved by his intense, ice-blue gaze.

"Why don't I walk you home? You never know what kind of people are out here."

It was an offer, but it also wasn't. There was something in his voice that made Gwen think it was more a demand than anything. She took another step back from him, shaking her head.

"That's all right. I'm not far."

His demeanor changed instantly. Instead of an almost creepy cockiness, he was taken aback — like he hadn't been told no before. Gwen felt her irritation return, especially as he resumed his intense stare. This time, the stare was more skeptical than seductive. Gwen decided to use his sudden hesitancy to her advantage.

"Well, see you around," she said awkwardly. Successfully turning around and walking away without being stopped. However, she had only made it a few steps when he spoke.

"I forgot my manners," he said, still standing where she'd left him but looking more confident. "You're obviously new to town. What's your name?"

She hesitated. It was clearly a stupid idea to answer him, but he wasn't being creepy anymore. Maybe he was just socially awkward. Over her shoulder, she said, "Gwen Ashwood."

"Welcome to Mystic Falls, maybe I'll see you around some time, Gwen." He turned to head back toward town.

"You didn't tell me your name," she called after his retreating figure.

"Damon Salvatore," he yelled before disappearing into the dark.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Gwen's first week in Mystic Falls flew by; Friday morning coming before she knew it. Sadly, there was little joy felt as the sun streamed through her window. Her new "friend" had returned.

"Go away!" she yelled, pulling the blanket over her head.

But the tapping on the glass and loud cawing only grew in intensity despite her protests. For the last four mornings, she'd been awoken in this manner. When she'd opened the window to find a crow casually sitting on the branch next to her window, she'd been surprised. When it happened the second and third mornings, she'd been baffled. The behavior had to be unusual, not that she knew much about birds, but going from aggressively attacking the window to apparent calmness once it was opened couldn't be considered normal. Finally, she gave up on pretending she couldn't hear it. Throwing her sheets off of her, she marched over to the window and threw it open.

"What do you want?" she snapped.

As usual, the black bird sat silently on a branch about a foot away from the window, eyeing her with apparent interest. Gwen wasn't sure, but as they studied each other, she could have sworn she'd seen this bird around town over the last few days.

"Are you following me or am I losing my mind?" she asked. The crow's only response was to tilt it's head up as she spoke. Sighing, Gwen leaned down so she could be eye-level with the bird. "Listen, if you can stop attacking the window every morning, I'll get you some delicious human food? What do you say?"

The crow cawed loudly and flew away, causing Gwen to jump back in surprise and hit her head on the window frame.

"Shit!" She rubbed her head as she pulled herself back into the room. She wasn't sure if the bird's response was an agreement, but Gwen supposed she should research what kind of food it could eat. Head throbbing, she wondered if she was capable of slipping poison in it. Probably not.

By the time she made it downstairs, Ric was on his second cup of coffee and looking over papers. Gwen poured herself a cup and grabbed an energy bar out of the cupboard. It wasn't the most nutritious breakfast, but it would do. Between school, her new job, and the crow, she was exhausted. She slid into the seat across from Ric, careful not to set her coffee too close to the papers — a difficult task given the size of the table.

"The bird came back?" Ric asked without looking up from his work.

"Yes," she said through gritted teeth. "That thing is crazy. What are you working on?"

"Pop quizzes from my sophomore class. Do you have work today?"

"Yes, just until six, though. After that I'm going over to Caroline's to get ready for the Halloween party, remember?"

He nodded absently. Ric paused to take a sip of coffee, finally raising his eyes to look at her. "Be home by midnight, and please don't do anything that earns a call from the sheriff."

Gwen scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I'll be with the sheriff's daughter, what trouble could I possibly get into?"

Ric shrugged and muttered something that sounded like 'you'd be surprised.' Gwen let it go. The only trouble Caroline would get them into is underage drinking, and it sounded like Caroline and her friends benefited from nepotism if they were caught in that situation. She couldn't let Ric know that though, so she decided to try to alleviate his concerns.

"I promise no illegal shenanigans," she said, barely able to keep a straight face.

"Just legal ones?" Ric questioned teasingly.

"It _is_ Halloween. You're supposed to have fun."

"Fine, just don't go too crazy." Ric sighed, then jumped up and began packing his papers into his bag. "Shit, I gotta go. There's a teacher's meeting at seven-thirty. You ok to get to school on your own."

"Of course."

"All right see you later," he said, grabbing his coat from the back of the chair. As he walked out the door, he called back, "Don't forget your work uniform!"

"Ok! Bye!"

She heard the door slam shut and got up to get a second cup of coffee. Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Gwen, I need you to take tables sixteen and five so Nick can cover the bar."

Gwen groaned. Matt and Vicki were mysteriously absent, so she was pulling double-duty as server and busser. Turning to face her manager, Jack, she set the heavy and full bin of dirty dishes on an empty table. She was exhausted and was supposed to get off in five minutes. Surely there was someone they could call.

"It's just for thirty minutes," Jack said, stopping her protest before it could start. "Hayley's on her way in, and you'll get overtime."

"Fine," Gwen sighed, picking up the heavy bin. Even though Gwen was working two jobs, the Grill wasn't swamped with customers. Families were at home getting ready to trick-or-treat and the high schoolers wouldn't be in until later. After dropping off the bin in the kitchen, she sent a quick text to Caroline to let her know she would be late. When she returned to the dining area, she was surprised to find a familiar face at table five.

"Welcome to the Grill. What can I get you this evening?" Gwen said in her customer voice, feeling a little embarrassed Damon was seeing her at work. If his smirk was anything to go by, however, he was enjoying it.

"Well if it isn't the emo photographer. Seen any good fog lately?"

"No." She dropped the customer voice and turned defensive, her embarrassment growing. She wasn't sure why his presence bothered her so much. Sure she was cute, but it's not like she knew him. And from what she'd learned from Caroline and Bonnie, she probably didn't want to. "Can I get you something?"

"Let's start with a basket of onion rings. Oh, and have you seen Vicki Donovan?"

Gwen paused, glancing up at him from the ticket she was writing. "Uh, no? She's actually missed work the last few days, and now Matt's MIA. Why?"

Damon shrugged. "Just trying to help Matt find her."

"So looking for someone means ordering onion rings?" Gwen asked skeptically. "What's wrong with her anyway?"

"Drugs, she's on a real bad trip."

"You know, you sound more bored than concerned. Why are you even helping?"

"Why do you care?" Damon asked, giving her his full attention.

"I don't," she said, finishing the ticket. "I'm just trying to figure you out."

His smirk returned, even more pronounced. "Been asking around about me?"

"Maybe," she said playfully.

"And what have you heard?" he asked. He was incredibly smug as he slipped into flirtatious banter. Gwen reminded herself not to let it get to her. From what she had heard, that was just how he was.

"Nothing good. You don't have a lot of fans around here."

"You must be talking to the wrong people."

Gwen shrugged. "I can't reveal my sources."

Instead of looking offended, Damon almost seemed pleased with having a bad reputation. The lack of effort to defend himself made Gwen think Bonnie and Caroline weren't exaggerating. Gwen wasn't sure how that made her feel. From what they'd told her and his demeanor, she shouldn't want anything to do with him. Yet there was something about him that drew her in, made her want to learn more.

"You know," he said, interrupting her self-reflection, "you can't believe everything you hear, especially in a small town."

"Usually, I'd agree with you," she said in a faux thoughtful manner. "However, my source is very reliable — not some random townie."

"Who is it?" Damon asked with genuine interest as he leaned forward. Under his intense stare Gwen almost told him but caught herself. Instead, she teasingly acted out zipping her lips closed and throwing away the key. Scoffing, Damon relaxed back into the booth.

Gwen noticed her manager signaling to her to come over and realized she'd spent too much time taking Damon's order. Ripping off the ticket, she said, "I'll go put this in for you."

"So that's it then?" he said, making her pause and turn back to him. "We can't be friends."

She smiled, despite herself. "I never said that."

* * *

Twenty minutes later Gwen was in Caroline's bedroom, allowing the blonde to do her hair and makeup for the Halloween party. Bonnie was meeting them at the party and they doubted they'd see Elena since was dealing with Stefan, according to Caroline. It would only be the three of them dressed as witches for the night. Caroline had selected a theme for each costume, choosing sexy witch for herself and assigning punk witch to Gwen. Currently, Caroline was curling her hair and clipping in bright purple hair extensions.

"Tonight is going to be so much fun," Caroline gushed, releasing another section of hair from the curling iron. "And who knows? Maybe we'll meet a couple of cute warlocks."

"Is it warlocks or wizards?" Gwen asked.

Caroline scrunched her face in thought. "I don't know. Aren't they the same thing?"

"No idea, neither sound cool though."

"True," Caroline agreed, laughing. "We'll aim for cute …. What do guys normally go as?"

"I think they usually throw on old, messy clothes and apply some fake blood," Gwen said, struggling to come up with an idea of what teenage boys normally dressed up as.

"Whatever," Caroline said. "We'll just hope for something cute."

"Thanks for letting me get ready here, by the way," Gwen said, after they'd worked through a fit of giggles. "Ric never would have let me go in that outfit."

"Really? You're way more covered than I am. Plus, you'll have tights on under the skirt."

"I know, but he's funny that way."

Gwen was actually excited about the costume; it would be fun to wear. The skirt was black but the under skirt alternated between purple and lime green under the jagged hem. Like Caroline, she would also have a bodice top, but hers was attached to the skirt and had long flowy sleeves. The look would be completed with torn up, sheer black tights and black boots. It was the quintessential Halloween witch costume and Gwen loved it.

"Are you sure Elena and Bonnie don't mind me tagging along? I'd hate to ruin some special friend tradition of yours."

Caroline scoffed. "Trust me, you're not. I doubt Elena even shows up. I mean, she's been distant since her parents' accident but since Stefan's been here, she's never around. And I have no idea what's going on with Bonnie. She keeps freaking out over this witch thing."

"Witch thing?"

"Her grandmother told her she comes from this long line of witches by way of Salem and now she thinks she psychic," Caroline explained, her tone making it clear she thought the whole thing was ridiculous. "Honestly, I'm surprised she agreed to the costumes. Anyway, I'm counting on you to bring some normalcy to our group and remind those two how to have fun."

Gwen laughed. "I'll do my best."

"Good," Caroline said, looking pleased. Releasing the final section of hair from the curling iron, she continued, "And you're done. Now, go get changed. We're meeting Bonnie in fifteen minutes."

* * *

Gwen was freezing. She couldn't believe she'd thought wearing the costume without a jacket was a good idea. The thin material did nothing to block the cold autumn air, so she'd gone through the haunted house three times. Well, the second time had been because Gwen had been separated from Bonnie and Caroline, who were also freezing. This time she'd gone through because it was faster to cut through the haunted maze to get to the food and drinks than walk around it. When she emerged from the building, in record time, she was thrilled to see the hot drink stand.

The line was mercifully short, and the worker even gave her a cup carrier for her three apple ciders. While the carrier made navigating back to the other two girls easier, she still had to maneuver between crowds of people and watch out for kids running haphazardly past her as parents struggled to keep up with them. Caroline and Bonnie were in sight when she bumped into someone, nearly spilling the drinks.

"Sorry," she mumbled, stopping to make sure the drinks were steady.

"Nice costume," said a deep, amused voice. Gwen looked up to see Damon smirking at her as he took in her outfit. Gwen felt her face warm in embarrassment and was thankful for the dim lighting.

Recovering, she said, "I'm surprised to see you here. I didn't think a Halloween party would be something you'd go to."

Damon shrugged. "I'll admit this isn't my usual kind of party but it's turning out to be a better night than anticipated." Nodding to the carrier in her hand, he asked, "I didn't think they had drink service here."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "They don't. I'm bringing these to my friends," she explained, gesturing in the direction of Caroline and Bonnie, who were glaring daggers at Damon.

Damon looked behind him, turning back with a delightedly smug expression. "I guess I know who's been telling you all those bad things about me. You know, you can't trust what a girl and her friends say about her ex. It's like girl code to hate him, or something."

Laughing, Gwen said, "I'm not sure that's quite how it works. But what do you care what they tell me? We don't even know each other."

Damon stepped closer, so close there was only a few inches between them. Fixing her with his stare, he whispered, "What if I wanted to change that?"

Then, without another word, he walked off, leaving a perplexed Gwen still standing there. Regaining her senses, she completed her journey to Caroline and Bonnie, handing the drink carrier to Caroline.

"How do you know Damon?" Caroline demanded, looking almost upset.

"I don't, not really," she said, unease flowing through her. She wasn't really friends with these girls yet and didn't want to risk what they had over some handsome but odd guy. "I've, um, run into him around town a few times. That's all."

"Just be careful, all right," Caroline said, her tone changing from almost accusatory to concerned. "He can be super sweet but there's a dark side to him. He's dangerous."

"Caroline's being nice," Bonnie cut-in, covering for her friend's discomfort. "Damon's an ass."

Gwen held up her hands in a sign of surrender, wanting to put the other two girls at ease. "I get it. Like I said, I've only seen him around town. It's not like we're hanging out or anything."

Caroline waved her hand, trying to wave the awkwardness away. "Ignore us. It was just a bad breakup. I guess it's still fresh."

Gwen nodded and smiled in what she hoped showed understanding, taking her cup of hot apple cider from Bonnie. As she gripped the cup, her fingers briefly brushed the other girl's. Bonnie jerked away as if shocked and stared at Gwen with her eyes full of fear.

"What are you?" Bonnie asked, her voice shaking and barely audible.

"What?" Gwen asked taken aback by Bonnie's sudden change. Caroline rolled her eyes and hissed at Bonnie to knock it off. Bonnie seemed to come back to herself, though she only looked more fearful now.

"I'm sorry. I-I have to go."

Bonnie took off, ignoring Caroline's calls to talk to her. Turning back to Gwen she said, "See? She's playing up this whole psychic thing for attention."

Gwen forced a laugh to show she found Bonnie's behavior ridiculous, but she could not help but feel confused and a little worried about Bonnie's outburst. What did Bonnie mean?

Caroline and Gwen stayed at the party for another hour before Caroline declared it "dead" and decided to go home. She invited Gwen over to watch a movie and sleep over, but Gwen declined. She couldn't shake the nervous feeling Bonnie had left her with and just wanted to get home. They parted ways with Gwen promising to text Caroline tomorrow so they could meet up for coffee.

Once again, Gwen was without a ride and lugging her bag full of clothes back to her house. Thankfully, she'd convinced Ric to take home her books home for her. Most nights when she walked home, the streets were empty. With it being Halloween, however, there were still quite a few people out celebrating, though it was mostly other high schoolers and adults. Gwen was grateful for the pseudo-company. Bonnie's outburst had left her extremely unnerved, which is why she nearly screamed when Damon suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Shit! What's wrong with you? You can't just sneak up on people like that."

He laughed. "Trust me, there was zero sneaking involved. What's wrong with you? You seem distracted."

"Nothing, it's just been a long night." Desperate to change the subject and take the focus off of her, she asked, "What are you supposed to be anyway? A greaser?"

Startled, he looked down to examine his own outfit: jeans, a white t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. "Guess I am," he said with a shrug. "I _love_ your outfit by the way. I'm not sure what's better, the hair or the hat."

Gwen smiled, but Caroline and Bonnie's warnings echoed in her head and it quickly fell. "You know, Caroline and Bonnie were pretty upset when they saw me talking to you."

"Caroline likes drama and draws everyone else into it," he said dismissively.

Gwen looked at him in disbelief. "Most people don't describe someone as 'dangerous' just for the sake of creating drama."

Damon studied her for a minute, as if he was assessing her for something. Gwen didn't know what she was doing. She knew something was off about Damon, even before she'd received warnings from the girls. They'd only met a few times and they'd all been short, though tense and flirty, encounters. Gwen shouldn't be looking for an explanation from him, especially one for why he had clearly treated Caroline so poorly.

"All right," he said, breaking the silence, "maybe I could've been nicer to Caroline."

"That's not really an explanation."

"I don't see a need to explain myself. Can you deal with that?"

"I don't know," she said, walking past him. "Good night, Damon."

It felt good to be the one walking away for once, and she was a little relieved that Damon let her go. Ten minutes later, she was quietly closing the door behind her, trying not to wake her uncle. The effort was pointless, however, as she found him still up in his office.

"Grading papers?" she asked, leaning against the doorframe.

He turned from his work to look at her, eyes red from exhaustion. "Research, actually. Nice costume."

"It's not that bad," she said, picking up on his distaste. "What are you researching?"

"Oh nothing," he said, though she noticed he positioned himself so she couldn't see what he was reading on the computer. Gwen let out a disappointed sigh. He was researching vampires again. It was Isobel's old work that he'd taken up after her death. Gwen didn't think he believed they were real but continued the work to feel closer to Isobel. She didn't think it was healthy and had even voiced her concerns to him. He waved them off, however, and they'd come to an unspoken agreement to not talk about it. "Just reading up on some town history. There's so much here; I want to connect it to the lessons as much as possible."

"Dork," she said half-heartedly. "I'm off to bed. It's been a very long day."

"All right," he mumbled, distracted by his computer screen. "Night."

Gwen said good night before ascending the stairs to her room. She'd been so busy with school and work that not much more unpacking had been done, though they had managed to rearrange the furniture so it was more functional and put up better blinds. Gwen walked over to close the blinds, not wanting to change with the windows open, and saw her visitor perched on its branch.

"What is wrong with you?" she muttered. The bird didn't respond, only stared back. She closed the blinds, knowing it wouldn't block out any noise but taking strange comfort that it couldn't watch her. Something was seriously off about that bird. When she finally crawled into bed, an unexpected wave of sleepiness hit her. As she was drifting off to sleep, she could have sworn she heard a light tapping at the window.

* * *

**AN: Thank you to everyone who is reading/following this story! And a special thanks to those who left reviews: PrincessMagic, bdw8033, and ****sloksing45 (this was the Ron Swanson of reviews and i love it!).**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Gwen threw her pencil down on her math book, slumping back in her chair. She'd been working over one problem for the last half hour and was nowhere near figuring it out. She stretched her arms out in front of her and over her head to work out some the stiffness that had settled in her back, noticing the library had emptied significantly since she arrived. She glanced at the clock and swore under her breath. She was supposed to meet Caroline and Bonnie by the football field in five minutes. Gwen closed her book, a little too loudly, and shoved the rest of her supplies in her bag.

The library was on the other side of the school from the football field. Gwen knew the girls would wait for her, but she felt bad about making them wait. They were only two weeks into November and it already felt like winter. Gwen didn't want them standing in the cold too long. They may have switched to wearing jackets and athletic pants during practice, but neither were that warm.

As Gwen fast-walked across the school, her bookbag and camera bag bounced violently off of her legs. She grimaced, hoping they wouldn't leave bruises. By the time she reached the field, she was slightly out of breath.

"You ready for girls' night?" Caroline asked when she reached them. She was practically bouncing on her feet. Gwen wasn't sure if it was from the cold or just Caroline's bubbly personality.

"Yeah," Gwen said, hoping she didn't sound too winded. Bonnie smiled in greeting but was distracted by a text on her cell phone. The smile fell quickly, a frown and creased brow replacing it. Gwen hoped it wasn't a reaction to her. Bonnie had seemed off ever since Halloween.

It was Gwen's first night off in two weeks — and she'd been looking forward to it for about as long. Sadly, it was only a Thursday night and Ric didn't let her stay out late during the week for non-work reasons. Given her limitations, Gwen was taking as full advantage of the rare free night as possible. Even if it was just pizza and romcoms.

"Great," Bonnie sighed as she aggressively tossed her phone in her bag. "Elena's bailing. Again."

Bonnie and Caroline shared a look that Gwen pretended not to see. Being the new kid at Mystic Falls High School hadn't been that bad. Despite the small population, no one had made a big deal about a new student. Even the process of making friends hadn't been hard, thanks to Caroline. However, becoming part of Caroline's friend group presented its own challenges. They'd all been friends since pre-school. Sometimes things got a little awkward when they were having an in-group moment, like now.

"Her loss," Caroline finally said. "If she wants to spend all her time with Stefan and ignore her friends, let her."

"Because we'll guilt her about it later," Bonnie added, grinning in amusement. Gwen laughed weakly, trying to pretend any of this mattered to her. Outside of classes, Gwen hadn't spent much time with Elena. Though she had to agree that her new boyfriend seemed to take up an unusual amount of her time.

"Let's go. It's freezing out here," Caroline said, no longer bothered by Elena's absence. "My car's this way."

Caroline's car wasn't far from the field, for which Gwen was grateful. The longer she stood still the more the cold air affected her. She slid into the backseat of the car, the cold of the seats seeping through her jeans. Chills ran through her, but she didn't complain. They'd be at Caroline's house in a few minutes.

"Ok, so what do you guys want to watch first?" Caroline asked. "I have the first _Bridget Jones Diary_, _You've Got Mail_, _10 Things I Hate About You_, _Sweet Home Alabama_, and _Two Weeks Notice_."

Bonnie balked in the passenger seat, holding up a hand to signal for Caroline to slow down. "We're not going to get through all these movies in one night, you know."

"Not with that attitude," Caroline said, sounding a little indignant.

Gwen laughed. "Maybe you can, but I have an eleven-thirty curfew that my uncle is unreasonably strict about."

"Fine," Caroline whined, drawing out the word to show she was annoyed. "So which one do we watch."

"I have to vote for _10 Things_," Bonnie said dramatically. "What about you Gwen?"

"I second that. I haven't seen that movie in _forever_."

"All right, but we watch _You've Got Mail_ after that."

"Seems fair to me," Bonnie said with a shrug.

They pulled into Caroline's driveway; the sheriff's car was missing. They climbed out of the sedan, all of them walking quickly to the house to escape the cold. Caroline had them dump their stuff in the living room while she ordered the pizza.

"C'mon, we can get the drinks and snacks," Bonnie instructed, leading Gwen to the kitchen.

Gwen had been to Caroline's a few times before. It was a nice house, not much bigger than hers but a lot homier. Despite Caroline's complaints, Sheriff Forbes had done quite a bit to make a nice home for her daughter. Gwen's house still felt temporary, even if they were finally all unpacked.

"The snacks will be in the pantry on the left," Bonnie said. "I'll grab the soda."

Gwen wasn't as comfortable as Bonnie when it came to helping herself to things in Caroline's house. Another byproduct of not being friends forever. But it felt less invasive since Bonnie was with her. Inside the pantry she found two bags of chips and cookies. She grabbed all of it. They were going all out after all.

Bonnie and Gwen took their pile of snacks back to the living room where Caroline was queuing up the movie. They set their stash down on the coffee table, all the girls grabbing something before they settled into their seats.

"The pizza will be here in twenty to thirty minutes," Caroline said, as she opened a package of chocolate covered cookies. "Hope you all like cheese and pepperoni."

Bonnie shushed them as the movie started. Their silence lasted all of ten minutes before they all chimed with their own commentary on the film. Gwen noticed Bonnie checking her phone a lot, maybe hoping Elena would change her mind and show up, but she seemed to be having a good time anyway. She was even making an effort to get to know Gwen better.

"So what's it like living with your uncle?" Bonnie asked when the pizza arrived. Caroline had paused the movie to go get it, leaving them on their own in the silence. "Is he a major history nerd all the time?"

Gwen laughed. "Sometimes, yeah. On the drive down here, he did want to stop at a few historical sites. But it was such a short turnaround from him accepting the job and having to be here that we didn't have time."

Caroline came back in, carrying the pizza and some napkins. Despite the chips and cookies, Gwen was still hungry. She hopped up as soon as Caroline opened the box to grab a piece. She'd have been embarrassed, but Bonnie and Caroline did the same thing.

"You know, your uncle seems pretty laid back in class," Caroline observed between bites. "Why is he so strict with you?"

Gwen shrugged, taking her time to chew the last bite of pizza before responding. "I had some issues when I first started living with him after my mom died. He's been like this, more or less, ever since. I think he was afraid the move would trigger some stuff, so he's been extra strict as of late. It should let up soon though. We've been here almost a month and I've had zero problems."

She kept her tone light, not wanting to really get into what had happened back in Boston. They'd probably think she was crazy and then she'd lose the only friends she'd managed to make.

"You're lucky," Caroline said, surprising Gwen, "that someone cares enough. Both of our parents are pretty absent. We basically take of ourselves."

Bonnie nodded in agreement but didn't add anything to the conversation. She was picking at the pepperoni on her pizza, not looking at them. An awkward silence fell over the girls for a minute before Caroline turned the movie back on. As the movie progressed, the awkwardness was forgotten, and they were soon commenting and laughing again.

They were about halfway through _Two Weeks Notice_ when Gwen glanced at her phone and swore. It was already eleven. She needed to leave if she wanted to make it home by curfew. Gwen gathered her trash and took it to the bin in the kitchen.

"Thanks for having me over," she said, slipping on her coat. "This was a lot of fun."

"It was. Do you want me to drive you home? It'll be faster."

"No, it's fine." Gwen grabbed her bags, slinging one over each shoulder.

"Are you sure?" Bonnie chimed in. "I can take you on my way home. It'd be safer."

Gwen scoffed. "I walk home from work all the time. It's perfectly safe here."

Caroline seemed placated but Bonnie only grew more worried. She didn't say anything else though, so Gwen chalked it up to her some personal fear of walking alone at night. Compared to Boston, Mystic Falls was probably the safest place in the world. Plus, she didn't want to make anyone go out of their way.

"See you tomorrow," Gwen called over her shoulder as she walked down the porch steps. She heard Caroline say good-bye and close the door, leaving Gwen alone on the dark, empty street.

Despite what she told Caroline and Bonnie, Gwen was a little unnerved walking home in the dark. She supposed it was a holdover from living in big cities. Apart from a few animal attacks that happened earlier in the year though, Mystic Falls didn't have a dangerous element. Still, she couldn't stop the spike of paranoia every time she walked the barely lit streets.

Except for the occasionally rustling of the trees, Gwen's echoing footsteps were the only to be heard. It wasn't like there was usually a lot of traffic at this time night. Still, the lack of activity didn't help with Gwen's uneasiness.

The wind picked up, sending loose blond strands of hair flying into Gwen's face. As she struggled to tame her hair, she felt something wet hit her hand. Then another drop landed on her head. A second later, she was standing in the middle of a very steady rainfall. Swearing, she pulled the hood of her coat on her head and tried to shield the camera bag. She quickened her pace but was still about a mile from home. She groaned. By the time she got there, she'd be soaked. She'd be lucky if any of her homework or the camera survived.

The intensity of the rain increased, turning it into a downpour in a matter of seconds. The rain was coming down so fast, the road turned into a shallow stream, soaking her shoes. Her coat pointless by this point, too. Not only was she completely soaked, but her vision was limited by the rain. Unable to see more than a few feet around her, she was careful to stay as close to the edge of the street as possible to avoid becoming roadkill. She mentally cursed the town for not installing sidewalks. They would have made her trek a little safer.

When a car pulled up and stopped next to her, Gwen jumped backward with so much force that she nearly fell over. The door opened to reveal Damon leaning over the passenger seat and motioning for her to get in. Getting into a car with someone she barely knew was a bad idea. It was something she never would have done in Boston. She got in without hesitation.

"Oh my god, thank you!"

"No problem," he said, watching her struggle to settle into the seat with all her bags. "Why were you walking in the rain?"

"I don't ha-have a car," she explained, her teeth chattering. She'd expected warm air when she slid into the car and was surprised to find none. In fact, she was pretty sure the heat wasn't even on. "I think it's colder in your car than in the rain."

"Sorry, just waiting for the engine to warm up."

She watched as he messed with a few dials, turning on the heat. As the warmth sunk through her wet clothes, she sighed in relief. Gwen was about lean back into the seat when she jerked forward.

"Shit!"

"What?" Damon asked, one eyebrow raised.

"I'm soaked! I'm going to ruin your seat."

He laughed, putting the car in drive. "It'll be fine. I wouldn't have stopped if I was worried about that. So, where am I taking you?"

"I live over on Telegraph Road, uh, 654 Telegraph Road. Do you know where that is?"

He scoffed. "Just a few blocks past the old train tracks. Relax, I'll get you home safe and sound."

His eyes turned to the road as the car accelerated forward, giving Gwen an opportunity to observe him without being too obvious. Unlike her, he was completely dry. Wherever he was coming from — probably the Grill — he'd made it to his car before the rain started. Though the Grill was in the direction they were heading now, she realized. There weren't many places in town open this late and worth going to that Gwen knew of. She wondered where he'd been, but thought it was rude to ask.

"Where were you this evening? I missed my favorite waitress."

Gwen glanced out of her window to hide the blush that rushed to her cheeks. Not that he could see it since he was driving and it was dark, but she didn't want to risk it. Though now she felt better about being noisy.

"I had the night off. Caroline had a few of us over for pizza and movies."

"Let me guess, romcoms?" he asked, a mix of condescension and boredom.

"Is there something wrong with romcoms?" she challenged. It was such a typical guy move to hate on romantic comedies. They all thought their brooding anti-heroes were cinematic gods or something. Gwen thought most of them were irredeemable, entitled dicks.

"No, there's nothing wrong with a _good_ romantic comedy. I'd even say there's nothing with a bad one every now and then," he explained, his eyes briefly turning to her before going back to the flooded road. "But those movies are predictable. Where are the stakes? The passion? Sometimes you need something more substantial."

Gwen gaped at him. "Wow," she said, her voice unexpectedly soft. "I didn't peg you for a romantic movie guy."

"No?" he smirked. "What kind of movies did you think I liked?"

"Given how you dress — all dark clothes — and how you like to be all mysterious, something dark, tragic, and obnoxiously highbrow," she said thoughtfully.

"Ouch," he said, his hand flying to heart as if she'd shot him. Gwen rolled her eyes, laughing. "I didn't peg you as such a harsh judge of character."

Gwen shrugged, noticing they were just now passing by the center of town. She hadn't realized how slowly he was driving. It was good that he was being careful. The roads were pretty bad, and it was almost impossible to see. But she couldn't help but worry about missing curfew.

"Not character, just movie tastes," she teased. "Anyway, what were you doing out this late? I didn't think anything in town was open."

Damon was quiet while they drove through a rather deep puddle. He studied her out of the corner of his eye once they were through it. Under his stare, Gwen squirmed. Once again, she felt as if he was trying to read her mind.

"Nothing is," he finally said. His tone perfectly casual, as if the previous tense moment had never happened. "I was visiting an old friend just outside of town."

"Was it fun?" she asked awkwardly. His vagueness about where he had been was disconcerting. She could tell he didn't want to talk about it. Was he involved in something illegal?

"Yeah, I guess," he said nonchalantly, though it seemed a little forced. "To be honest, I was hoping they'd be able to help me with something."

"And they couldn't?"

"Nope," he sighed, a slight frown appearing on his face. "I have other options, though."

"What did you need help with?" she asked hesitantly.

"I can't say, not yet."

She wanted to ask why but stopped herself, reminding herself that she didn't know Damon that well. He could be involved in anything. Gwen was starting to suspect his mysteriousness was more a part of his personality than an act. A chill went through that had nothing to do with her wet clothes and hair. Something was telling her she needed to be careful around him.

The hammering rain filled the silence as Damon drove over the bridge. Gwen could just make out the river below them, flowing faster than she'd ever seen it move. She leaned further into her seat, as if doing so could keep them from falling into the river. She let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding once they reached the other side of the bridge.

"Fear of bridges?" Damon asked, increasing the speed of the car just a little.

She shook her head. "No, I just had a horrible thought of the car going over into the river. Sorry, I'm a little morbid at times."

Damon laughed, unbothered by her revelation. "A little morbidity is all right. Keeps you grounded. Besides, it only proves my first assessment that you're a little goth."

She groaned. "You're not going to let that go, are you?"

"No," he teased, a smile playing on his lips. "In fact, I'm going to start calling you … Barbie Goth."

Gwen pulled a face. "Really? That's the best you can do?"

"You're right. I'll work on it."

The car came to a stop. Gwen looked up to see they'd reached her house. The front porch light was still on, meaning Ric was still up. She glanced at the clock on the dashboard. It was after midnight.

"Think you can make it to the door? It's coming down pretty hard."

"I'll manage," she said, grimacing at the downpour. "It's not far and I'm already soaked. Thanks for stopping."

"Anytime."He paused; his jaw clenched slightly as he mulled over something. Flicking his eyes to hers, she said, "Do you have a phone?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Good, I'll give you my number. Then if you ever need a ride again, you have someone to call."

"Oh, you don't have to," she mumbled, embarrassed once again. "It's really not — "

"Phone. Now," he demanded, cutting off her protests.

Sighing, she dug the phone out of her pockets, which had been protected from the rain by her coat. It was only with some reluctance that she handed it to him. It's not like she needed a personal driver. Walking around Mystic Falls wasn't that bad, and she was usually covered between Ric and Caroline when she did need a ride. But she couldn't ignore the thrill of excitement that went through her as she watched him type in his number.

"Thank you," she said, reaching out to take back her phone. He jerked back, causing her to look up at him.

"I mean it," he said, keeping his eyes locked with hers. "If you need something, just call."

"Thanks," she repeated, accepting the phone from him. Dropping her eyes from him, she said, "I better go. I'm sure my uncle is worried."

She opened the door and the sound of the thundering rain filled her ears. Gwen climbed out as quickly as she could with her bulky bags, slammed the door behind her, and ran up to the front door. Once she reached the semi-safety of the covered porch, Gwen turned around to wave good-bye — but Damon was already backing up and driving away.

Bracing herself for a lecture, she opened the door and went inside the warm house. Even though it was late, Ric still had most of the lights on. Gwen craned her head toward the living room to see if he was in there when she was startled by a voice behind her.

"You're late."

Gwen spun around to face Ric, who was leaning back in his office chair. She should have known he would be in his office. He always was these days. Tonight, it looked as if he'd been there since he got home, if the pile of dishes were anything to go by.

"Yeah, the rain slowed me done. It's pretty bad out there, if you hadn't noticed," she said, unable to keep the sarcasm out of her tone.

"I did. I was wondering why you didn't call for a ride."

"Well, it wasn't raining when I left," she explained, setting her bags on the floor so she could take off her coat. Ric pushed himself out his chair to help her, taking her coat. "Thankfully, Damon was driving by and gave me a ride. He had to drive slow, though; the roads are pretty bad."

Ric had been hanging up Gwen's coat and paused as she continued her explanation. "Who's Damon?"

"Stefan's brother," Gwen said, realizing she hadn't mentioned knowing the older Salvatore before now. She needed to play this off as nothing so he didn't freak.

"He must be older," Ric said in a slightly accusatory tone as he finished hanging up her coat. "Stefan doesn't have a brother enrolled in the school."

"He is. I met him at the Grill. He's there a few times a week," she said casually, toeing off her shoes. She rolled her eyes at his furrowed brow and suddenly tense stance. "He's just a friend, Uncle Ric. Not even that, really. More like an acquaintance. Can't you just be happy I didn't die in this storm."

Relaxing, he smiled. "Fine. I'll let it and missing curfew go this once. Now, go get changed and head to bed. It's late and you still have school in the morning."

She grabbed her bags, calling good night as she ran up the stairs. As soon as she'd taken off her coat, a chill had settled over her despite being inside. Once in her room, Gwen changed out of her wet clothes, setting them over the back of her chair to dry. She was plugging in her phone to charge when she realized her leather bracelet she wore was missing from her right wrist. Her stomach dropped as a feeling of dread filled her.

Practically throwing her phone down, she ran over to her clothes, shaking them vigorously. Finally, the brown, two-inch wide band tumbled out of her sweater sleeves. Sighing in relief, she bent down to pick it up. The band was a gift from her mother, one of the last she'd ever given her. It was, supposedly, a family heirloom. However, Gwen had never seen it before her mom gave it to her. It had a symbol for protection embossed on it. Gwen couldn't remember what culture it was from and she didn't believe it protected her from anything, but it did make her feel closer to her mom.

It looked like the tie of the band had frayed and broken. She set the broken band next to her phone. Ric could probably fix it; he was good at that sort of thing. Gwen walked over to the window to check on the bird feeder she'd hung up that morning. In the dark, she could barely make out its shape as it bounced on the tree branch. Satisfied it was there, she made her way to bed. Exhaustion hit her as she crawled into it. As fell asleep, she focused on hoping for a silent morning and not phone calls from a dark-haired, blue-eyed someone.

* * *

**AN: Fall semester is here and I'm a full-time college again. I will continue to work on this story and hopefully I can manage at least one update a month. I know that's not a lot, but I don't have a lot of free time between work and school. I just wanted to let anyone reading that I wasn't abandoning this story. Updates might just be slow.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**11/10/19 AN: Fixed an embarrassing typo. Thank you at mercury30 for alerting me to it. The problem of working on two fics at the same is that I do mix up my characters. **

* * *

"You want to throw a birthday party for Stefan? Why?"

Gwen was giving her friend a disbelieving look. Stefan barely talked to anyone besides Elena. Why would anyone of them throw him a birthday party? Besides, she had enough work to do as the full bucket of dirty dishes she was holding should have hinted to Caroline. Once again, they were down a busser and she had been stuck with the task. Shifting the bucket to get a better grip, she raised an eyebrow at Caroline as she waited for a better explanation.

"Well Damon asked me to," she said as if it was the most obvious and simple thing in the world.

"What?" Gwen was growing more confused by the minute. "Just yesterday I got a twenty-minute spiel about what a jackass Damon is because you _think_ you saw his car. Now, you want to help him throw a party for his brother?"

A part of her was worried Caroline and Damon might be getting back together. She had that giddy, hopeful attitude some girls got when they had a crush. Positive feelings for Damon Salvatore were not something she'd come to associate with Caroline. Gwen wondered if she should be concerned or call Bonnie.

Caroline scoffed. "Oh, that was nothing. Everything's fine between us. The party is part of his efforts to make amends. That's why I'm helping him, and I need you to help me."

"I don't know, Caroline. I barely know Stefan. Won't it be weird for me to help throw his party? Shouldn't Elena be involved?"

"I just need you to help Matt set up a few things here," Caroline said, ignoring Gwen's concerns. "I'll get people here and make a playlist. Try to have everything ready by seven, ok?"

Gwen started to protest, but Caroline continued to ignore her and left. Groaning, Gwen finished her walk to the kitchen. She set the bucket down with a loud thud, earning a reapproving glance from the dishwasher. She pretended not to notice, deciding she might as well go find Matt. It was Friday so he, as the second most-trusted staff member, was probably doing inventory in the back storage area.

She found Matt hunched over a box of hamburger buns when she entered the dusty backroom where they kept all the unrefrigerated and unfrozen food. Though he glanced at her when she entered, he didn't acknowledge her in any other way. She waited for him to finish counting before discussing the party.

"Caroline rope you into this, too?" he asked, writing down the number on his paperwork.

Gwen nodded. "Unfortunately. Are we even allowed to plan this?"

Matt shrugged. "Max won't mind. Caroline probably should have put down a party deposit or something, but he'll appreciate the extra business. Plus, Eric's working the bar tonight, so he knows sales will be good."

"Is that because he hasn't figured out that Eric sells alcohol to teenagers, or he has and that's why Eric's working?" Gwen asked, lifting herself up to sit on one of the counters. Eric selling alcohol to minors didn't really bother her. She would play dumb if anyone ever asked. It's not as if there was tangible proof that she knew. She was simply feeling put out by having to plan this party. Her manager may not have minded the last-minute nature of it, but he did mind having to find staff to accommodate it. As far as he was concerned, Matt and Gwen would have to work it since it was their friend's party.

"Oh, definitely the latter," Matt said. She watched as he picked up the box of buns and put it back on the shelf. "Not that there's any way the sheriff can prove he knows what Eric does. It's one of the reasons you'll never see Max and Eric on the same shift."

"And I hear I thought they just didn't like each other."

Matt chuckled. "There's that, too. We really don't have to do too much to get ready, though. I'll have the kitchen start a few large batches of appetizers around seven. We'll just do a flat fee for those and soda. That'll probably be all Caroline's guest want 'll set aside a section or two for regular customers, but I don't think we'll have too many. A loud and large group of high schoolers isn't a plus for a family dinner."

Gwen stared at him; eyebrows slightly raised. "Wow, you're really prepared for this."

"It's not my first Caroline party. I know what to expect."

"Do you think it'll be a big turnout?" she asked, still feeling annoyed about Caroline. "I mean, it's like Stefan has a lot of friends."

"Yeah, well, Caroline will make it work. She always does." Gwen couldn't be sure, she and Matt weren't close, but she thought she heard a little bitterness in his voice. She supposed it couldn't be that fun to plan a party for your ex's new boyfriend. She couldn't blame him for being enthused about its possible success.

She helped Matt finish up the inventory, which mostly consisted of her sitting or standing around and them working out service details for the night. Gwen should have been working the front, but Max had left an hour ago, so no one was going to say anything until it started getting busy. The rest of the servers were happy to pick up her tables.

The finished inventory around five, which was when she expected her uncle to come in for dinner. His devotion to his routine bugged her sometimes, but it made her life easier tonight. She could tell him in person that she'd be late and why. Since the real reason was work, it shouldn't be a difficult conversation. He never questioned her being out late if it was work related.

"So you'll be home when?" he asked as she finished writing down his order, which did deviate from his usual burger and fries.

"I don't know. Whenever we finish cleaning up, so late."

"You remember that I'm leaving early tomorrow for a conference in Richmond?"

"Yes," she said, stressing the 's' out of annoyance. "You've told me every day for two weeks. I will be on my own for two whole days. I am not to throw or attend any parties. I am to complete my schoolwork, go to work, and may participate in safe, legal activities with my friends during normal business hours. Have I forgotten anything?"

Ric glared at her, not appreciating her attitude. "Maybe I should ask Jenna to check in on you, or if you can stay with her."

Gwen made a face at the thought. "Please, no. I don't need to spend any more time with the Gilbert siblings than I have to."

"I didn't know you had a problem with Jeremy and Elena," Ric said, taken aback by her comment. "Did something happen?"

"No, I mean everyone thinking Elena walks on water is pretty annoying, but nothing's happened," she explained, mentally kicking herself for saying anything. She liked Jenna and didn't want to ruin things between her and Ric. He'd been so much happier lately. Gwen was hoping that he was finally moving on. "It can just be a lot to be with both Jeremy and Elena, especially since I'm not close with either of them, and there's some sort of drama going on between them."

"Jeremy's having a hard time adjusting to losing his parents," Ric said knowingly. "Maybe you could talk to him. You probably know better than anyone what he's going through."

"Listen, if he asks, I'll talk to him," Gwen said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. Ric was only trying to be helpful, she reminded herself. "But I'm not going to force some kind of bonding moment on him, ok? It's weird."

Ric held up a hand as a sign of surrender. The tone of her reply had been harsher than she had intended. "All right. I won't push anything. Why don't go put in my order, slacker? I'm starving."

"Fine," she mumbled. As she walked back to the kitchen, Gwen couldn't shake the bad mood that had settled over her. Ric suggesting she talk to Jeremy wasn't the worst thing and neither was throwing this party. But for some reason she felt on edge, ready to snap at the next person who talked to her. Sighing, she dropped off the ticket and head back out to the dining area. Hopefully, the night, and her mood, would get better.

* * *

The Grill was packed with people a couple of hours later. There were several Gwen didn't even recognize. In fact, they looked a little too old for high school. Gwen suspected they were from the small college that wasn't too far from town. Though, she thought, it was kind of lame for a bunch of college kids to be at a high school party.

Gwen had only seen the guest of honor for a second. He'd been with some girl she didn't recognize but he seemed to know pretty well. Gwen figured it was a friend from his former school. Everyone was enjoying the party. Caroline had done well with the music selection and Matt had been right about the menu. The party guests weren't interested in spending a lot on food. Some of the regular guests were a little put out by the noise, but not enough to leave. Though they weren't making it easy on their servers, if her coworkers' foul moods were anything to go by.

Gwen had expected to feel bitter about having to work. But once the party had actually started, she was grateful for being on the clock. She'd spotted Damon and Caroline having a conversation earlier and noticed Caroline had looked upset but hadn't had time to check in on her. If she was being honest with herself, she didn't want to find out. She wasn't eager to talk to Damon or Caroline at the moment.

She was clearing a bunch of empty cups from a table when she noticed Eric walking toward her. Though they worked together, Gwen tended to avoid having to spend time with the bartender. He'd once been a big shot on the football team but hadn't managed to develop any other skills. After a semester at school, he had flunked out and returned to Mystic Falls where he worked a combination of small jobs. It'd been eight years since he'd graduated and he still acted like a big, dumb, football jock. Gwen would have thought it was sad if he also wasn't a total creep that still thought it was fine to date high school girls.

"After you clear those, I need you to take out the trash. The can's starting to overflow."

"That's not my job," she said, stacking a few more cups on her tray. "Ask the busboy."

"He's busy cleaning up baby puke. You could switch," he countered, hoping to make himself look more authoritarian.

Gwen rolled her eyes, hoping he somehow got the message she thought he was the farthest thing from an authority figure. "I'll get the trash."

The kitchen was busier than Gwen had seen it. Between the party and regular diners, the staff was working twice as hard as a normal Friday night. Careful to avoid any collisions, Gwen weaved her way through the crowded kitchen to the trashcan in the back. Eric had exaggerated its state. It was full, but not overflowing. She tied the bag off and hefted it out of the can, thankful she kept up with her kickboxing. It definitely helped when she had to do heavy lifting at work.

She earned a few cheers from the kitchen staff as she lugged the bag outside. Making a half bow, she pushed the door open and stepped into the alleyway. Goosebumps immediately appeared on her skin, the drastic change from the hot kitchen to the cold November night making her body's reaction more intense. Wanting to get back inside as quickly as possible, she made a beeline for the dumpster, which was located at the corner of building. As she neared the dumpster, she could hear people talking but the voices were too low to make out what they were saying. Not that it mattered, Gwen figured it was only a few people loitering outside the Grill. Nothing that concerned her. However, as soon as she had dropped the bag into the dumpster, she heard a scream.

Frozen, with one arm still holding up the lid of the dumpster, she glanced around the corner. The scream had been cutoff, but she could still hear someone talking. She saw two people underneath a flickering light that cast them in shadows. However, Gwen could make out that one was a man and the other a woman. He had her pinned against the wall. She could see the girl was struggling, clearly terrified. Gwen's brain finally caught up to what she was seeing, and she realized she should do something. The man wasn't much bigger than her. She could probably take him, or at least impede him long enough for her to get the girl inside to safety. Not wanting to draw attention to herself, she carefully lowered the lid.

Just as she was about to step out from behind the dumpster, the man bent his head down to her neck. The girl whimpered in pain, causing him to pull back from her neck. When he did, the light shown just enough on his face for her to see that it was Damon and there was something dark dripping from his mouth. Gwen covered her mouth with her hand to keep herself from screaming and ducked back behind the dumpster, hoping he hadn't seen her. Her thoughts were a mess as she tried to process what she'd seen. Even in the poor lighting, she couldn't deny it. She had read enough of Ric's and Isobel's notes to know exactly had seen. Numb and still somewhat in disbelief, she stood up and walked as quietly as she could toward the backdoor.

She made it back inside without a problem but couldn't shake the feelings of absolute terror and shock she still felt.

"There you are," Matt said, carrying a full tray of dirty dishes. "Could you help out with some of the dinner guests? We're falling a little behind — Gwen? You ok?"

He'd finally noticed how pale she was and that there was a slight tremor to her stance. As he observed her, a frown appeared on his face. Lowering his voice, he asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Every part of her wanted to scream, to tell him what she'd seen. But she couldn't. He'd never believe her. Instead, she composed herself enough to be able to speak without panic in her voice. "I'm not feeling well," she lied, hoping he bought the strain in her voice as a sign of a stomachache. "I think I'm coming down with something."

Matt nodded, not questioning her for a second, even though she'd been fine five minute ago. "You'd better head home, then. We can't have you handling food if you're sick."

Relief flowed through her. All she wanted to do was go home and barricade herself inside. "Thanks. I'm really sorry, I know it's crazy tonight."

He waved her off, giving her a good-natured smile. "We'll manage. I'll tell Max to cover your shift tomorrow, just to be safe."

She thanked him again and exited the kitchen. Gwen walked to the breakroom to grab her things, careful to avoid eye contact with the few people she came across. She couldn't risk talking to anyone right now, sure she would end up spilling everything if she did. Slipping on her coat, she felt the weight of the car keys shift in her pocket. Ric had given them to her, insisting she not walk home in the cold if she was going to be that late. She'd almost turned him down, having walked in colder weather back in Boston, but had decided not to because she knew she'd be tired at the end of her shift. Now she was thankful her laziness had won out.

No one paid her any attention as she left the building and walked to the car. Once again, luck was on her side as there were still quite a few people in the parking lot. If Damon had seen her, he wouldn't do anything with so many witnesses around. Though she suspected he didn't know she was there, Gwen wasn't risking anything. She was going straight home and making sure all the doors and windows were locked. Tomorrow, after Ric had left, she was going to go through all of his material on vampires.

* * *

Gwen barely slept that night. No matter what she did to calm herself, the fear that Damon would break into the house and kill her and Ric kept her awake. Instead, she revisited every interaction she'd ever had with Damon Salvatore, looking for some hint that she had missed. But there was nothing. Eventually, the need to sleep overpowered here. One minute she was staring at her ceiling; and the next she was awoken by the slamming of the front door. Her fear from the night before returned, causing her to jolt out of bed before she remembered it was only Ric leaving for his conference.

She sunk back down into her bed, head in her hands as she let her heart rate and breathing return to normal. Calm again, she reached out for her phone to check the time but was briefly distracted by the number of missed text messages. Most of the messages were from Caroline. It looked like something had happened, but Gwen didn't care to find out exactly what right now. She slipped the phone into her back pocket, in case Ric called, and went downstairs.

Though she had resolved to start on the research first thing, her rumbling stomach demanded she put that off for the moment. Gwen's first stop was the kitchen, where she rummaged through the cupboards until she found a lonely packet of toaster pastries. After placing the blueberry pastries in the toaster to cook, she poured a glass of milk and turned on the TV. Unsurprisingly, the TV was set to the local news station. However, Gwen was surprised to see a short report about the death of a sophomore boy from the high school. His name had been Hunter Sanders, and he and his girlfriend had been attacked by a wild animal last night near the Grill. Then, without further explanation, the story switched to coverage of the football game.

Gwen stood still, staring at the television in total disbelief. She couldn't believe people were accepting the animal attack excuse again. It didn't make any sense. All the other attacks, which she now suspected had been committed by Damon, had happened out in the woods. An animal that could attack and kill a person wouldn't come into town unless there was some extreme extenuating circumstance. Besides, the wounds they described weren't consistent with an animal attack. Even an ordinary person would expect additional wounds on the bodies and not just one on their necks.

She jumped when the toaster popped. Shaking her head at herself, she retrieved her food, careful not to burn her fingers. Deciding to eat while she worked, she took her breakfast into Ric's office. Gwen was still on edge from last night even though it was clear Damon hadn't seen her. She hoped getting answers would make her feel better, more in control, or at least less jumpy.

Gwen settled into the desk chair, observing the items in front of her as she ate her pastry. Ric had taken his laptop with him, causing Gwen to frown. His most recent research would be on the laptop. Sighing, she hit the button for the desktop and waited for it to boot up. There was a good chance he'd backed up his notes on the old desktop computer. He was a stickler about backups. Music from an ad for a national food chain carried into the office as she watched the screen come to life. One day, they would have to replace the ancient computer. Gwen wondered if she could speed up that timeline without getting caught. She doubted it.

Finally, the computer finished booting up and Gwen went into Ric's user account. He didn't even use a password. She'd expected that to be the hard part. She was feeling overly confident when she realized she had to figure out her uncle's file organization, which was practically nonexistent. His desktop was covered in icons and his documents and folders were labeled with nonsense. Would it have been so hard to use something like "school", "work", or "vampires"?

It took her about thirty minutes before she was able to make sense of the file organization, which really meant she randomly clicked through files until she reached a dead end. After going through three levels of a file helpfully labeled "Notes," she came across a file named "Isobel." Gwen paused. She was already crossing several boundaries by going through Ric's files. Looking through a file he clearly had hidden and that could contain extremely private photos would be going too far. Or it had Isobel's research in it.

Hoping she wouldn't have to bleach her eyes; Gwen double-clicked the file.

"Finally," she muttered, reading the names of the documents, which were much more descriptive than the ones created by Ric, in the folder.

It was all of Isobel's original research on vampires. Several files caught her attention but — after a brief debate between "Thesis", "Tracking", and "Mystic Falls" — Gwen decided to open the one for Mystic Falls. Her heart sunk when the document finally loaded: It was over two hundred pages long, plus numerous comments (that looked to be a mix of Ric's and Isobel's). Sighing, she resolved to go through it — after she made coffee.

* * *

Hours later, Gwen sat on the office floor, surrounded by papers and dirty dishes. She'd skimmed through about half of the research in the Isobel file, finding the comments more helpful than the actual text and printing out relevant pages that she may want access to later. Gwen had hoped that learning more about vampires, real vampires, would have made her feel better. It hadn't. She was still torn between believing and not. However, try as her mind might to protect her from the truth, it was getting harder to deny it. For one, she knew what she had seen last night behind the Grill. There was no denying that. For another, Caroline's strange and sudden positive feelings for Damon made sense. He had probably compelled her to throw the party. Looking back, Gwen realized that Caroline had been almost vacant behind the enthusiasm she'd shown for the party.

The research had also revealed Ric's true motives in moving to Mystic Falls. Through Isobel's notes, he'd learned of the town's strangely high number of animal attacks and missing persons cases. These were earmarks of at least one vampire occupying a town, especially a small one lacking serious occurrences of other types of crime or violence. Ric had decided to follow Isobel's trail, believing it would lead to information about the vampire who had killed his wife. The job opening at the high school was the perfect excuse to move.

But it wasn't the deception regarding move that bothered her, at least not that moment. It was the final comment in Isobel's notes on Mystic Falls, bolded and italicized about three months before they moved to Mystic Falls:

_**SS and DS routinely return to Mystic Falls. Try surviving descendent at boarding house. DS will be most receptive.**_

An icy chill ran through her. "SS" and "DS" had to be Stefan and Damon Salvatore. According to Caroline who had been preparing for the Miss Mystic Falls pageant, the Salvatore's had the only still-standing boarder house, though it was a private residence now, in town. Isobel must have been trying to find the Salvatore brothers, though her notes never said why. Her research didn't show that was interested in proving their existence, not publicly at least. It was clear she wanted to find one, to meet one. Having gone through Ric's crime statistics and coroner reports, however, Gwen didn't think seeking out a vampire was the smartest idea.

Sighing, she absently played with the bottom drawer of Ric's desk. But when she tried to open it, it made a clunking sound as the lock held it closed. Gwen paused; eyebrows furrowed. Ric may have been strict, but he'd never kept anything locked — not even the answer keys to his assignments. She tried again, wanting to see if something was jamming the drawer. Nothing was; he had locked it. She rolled her eyes. There were no passwords on the computer or any of the files she'd just gone through, but he'd locked this single drawer.

She studied the drawer for a minute, wondering what was in it and where Ric could have hidden the key. Gwen hadn't even realized the drawers locked. The only keys they'd ever had were for the house and car, which were kept on hooks in the kitchen. He probably had the key in his room, she realized. Going through the desk was one thing, but Gwen wasn't sure she could go through his room. It felt like an even bigger invasion of privacy. Plus, who knew what she would find. Resigned to not getting into the drawer, she leaned against the desk in defeat.

As she was contemplating taking a break, she heard a click from the desk. She looked back at the desk, trying to figure out what made the noise, and her eyes were drawn to the locked drawer that was now opened about an inch. Confused, Gwen could only stare at the drawer. She knew it had been locked just a moment earlier. Shaking herself out of it, Gwen figured the lock must have been faulty and come undone when she'd tried to open it. She began pulling out the contents of the drawer, her exhaustion quieted and her curiosity peaked.

The drawer contained a bunch of loose papers and a couple of beat up notebooks. Nothing too interesting, just more research for her to go through. And then, as she pulled out the last messy file folder, she saw them: Three pointed stakes, lined up next to each other in a neat row at the bottom of the drawer. Apparently, Ric was hiding more than one secret.

* * *

**AN: I live! And so does this story! You can thank NaNo. I'm challenging myself to write a little everyday. If you're lucky, you just might get two chapters this month (no promises though, school is hell in November). Thank you at Wordspin and PrincessMagic for your reviews! I hope this chapter meets your expectations. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Gwen continued to review Ric's notes throughout the afternoon. Around four, she started feeling restless. Admitting all her work was only making her more nervous, she called it a day. However, hiding her snooping was a challenge. Gwen had to be sure everything was closed out or put back where she had found it so Ric wouldn't know she'd gone through his things. She paid the most attention to the drawer since it had been locked. Still not knowing where the key was, she worried about how to relock it. It would be a dead giveaway if it was open when Ric returned home. Her concern turned out to be for nothing when the drawer miraculously snapped back into place as she applied a little extra pressure to it.

She thought she would relax in front of the TV for a bit; maybe even get some sleep. But she had barely watched ten minutes of a comedy rerun when she began flipping channels and bouncing her left leg. Unable to find a show distracting enough or to sit still, Gwen turned off the television and ran upstairs to change to into her workout gear. She'd been falling behind on her kickboxing training. An hour or so of practice would be good for her.

Unlike in Boston, there wasn't a gym in town where Gwen could go workout. To ensure she kept up with her training, Ric had created space for her in the garage. It was now half-storage, half-gym. The car was regulated to the driveway. The garage wasn't large. It had just enough space for a small sedan and a small workbench, but they'd done what they could to make it work. The boxes were stacked against the far wall, blocking the side entrance that Ric kept locked up anyway. He said the boxes were an innovative home security measure. Gwen told him it was cheap. The rest of the space was the "gym." They'd hung up her punching bag, laid down a few mats, and kept a weight set stored in the corner. They also kept a fan out there for hot days, and Gwen was starting to wonder if they should get a small heater. The space was freezing when she first stepped into it.

Telling herself she'd warm up soon, Gwen set up the docking station for her iPod and selected her workout playlist that was full of loud, fast-paced songs. She turned up the volume on the docking station as far as she could, not worrying about disturbing the neighbors, and started her warm-up.

She let her mind go blank, focusing on her movements and breathing. When she started kickboxing, Gwen thought it was dumb. But she hadn't really had a choice in the matter. Ric had worked it out as part of deal to get her out of a more serious punishment. The kickboxing and therapy were to help with her anger issues, and the community service was to show her remorse for The Incident. So for six months, her life consisted of school, therapy, kickboxing, and sorting food at the food bank. She never got into therapy; her therapist was too much of a hippie to take seriously. Begrudgingly, Gwen realized the kickboxing did help make her feel better, like she was more in control.

Everyone had thought her mother's death was the cause of her anger. They weren't entirely wrong either, but it wasn't the source. Gwen had always been quick to anger, even over the smallest things. She couldn't explain it, and it was through kickboxing that she realized she didn't have to try. The exercise calmed her, the punching and kicking were more therapeutic than any therapy session. Gwen realized she was able to control her reactions better when she trained regularly. It was almost as if the anger was caused by excess energy; it just needed somewhere to go. Liking the effect, she'd kept with it even after the mandated six months.

Now, with every punch and kick she landed on the punching back, she felt her mind growing sharper. It wasn't only fear that was making her jumpy early, it was anger. She was pissed.

Ric had lied. Brought her to this town where he intended to seek out his wife's killer, who happened to be a vampire. Gwen couldn't imagine what his plan was once he found said vampire. Did he really think he could kill it? Had he even considered the possibility this didn't go his way? What about her? What would happen to her if he died?

And what about the fact that the vampire who had probably murdered her aunt was Damon Salvatore, the guy she'd been crushing on for weeks?

Lost in her thoughts and punches, she didn't hear the door squeak open. When the music was suddenly turned off, Gwen spun around so fast she nearly slid and fell on the mat. Thankfully, Caroline was standing far enough away that she was out of range of Gwen's arm, which had been in mid-punch when she'd turned around.

"What are you doing here? How did you get in?" Gwen demanded, heart racing from more than exercise.

Caroline crossed her arms, not appreciating Gwen's tone. "I've been texting you all day and you haven't responded to one message. Matt said you went home sick, so I came to check on you. You seem fine to me," she added haughtily. "Oh, and your door was unlocked."

Gwen rolled her eyes, realizing she must have forgotten to lock it after going out to get the mail. "I didn't feel good last night. I felt fine when I woke this morning, but Matt had already given me the day off. I thought I should take it."

"And on your day off, after being sick, you do extreme exercise and can't be bothered to answer your phone?" Caroline questioned, clearly not believing her story.

Gwen shrugged, unable to explain the real situation. Caroline may think that Damon was evil, but Gwen doubted she would believe he was a vampire. "Why are you so upset I haven't answered my phone?"

Caroline's demeanor changed from put-out and pouty to lit up and excited as soon as Gwen refocused their conversation.

"Something happened last night," she said with a giddy smile.

Given Caroline's reaction, Gwen knew she couldn't be talking about the attack. There hadn't been anything else on the news that morning, though. Her stomach sunk, hoping whatever had happened had nothing to do with Damon. However, her reasons for not wanting Caroline and Damon to be together were completely different than they were last night.

"Oh? What?" Gwen asked, hoping she sounded interested and not worried. Honestly, she probably just sounded winded.

She started to say something, and then stopped. "Can we go inside? It's freezing out here."

Gwen nodded, following Caroline back inside. They settled in the living room, which was more suited for guests than the disaster of a kitchen. Neither Ric nor Gwen excelled at keeping up with the dishes.

"Ok," Caroline said, back to her chipper self. "Here's the setup: I was talking to Damon last night — I have no idea why — and he was his usual horrible self and called me vapid and shallow. I know," Caroline said, noticing Gwen's reaction. "Rude much? Anyway, I was understandably upset and may have indulged in a little too much beer. Matt noticed I was upset, came over, made me feel better, took me home, and then stayed the night."

Caroline looked like she was ready to squeal in excitement and was waiting for Gwen to join her. Gwen, for her part, wasn't sure if she should be excited. Matt was nice enough, but he was clearly still hung up on Elena.

"You had sex?" Gwen asked, wanting to make sure she understood.

Caroline balked. "No, he just stayed over. It was nice. It turns out we actually have a lot in common."

"Oh, all right. Well, that's cool, I guess." Gwen's lukewarm response was clearly not what Caroline had wanted if her glare was any indication. "I'm sorry. It's very exciting, really. I didn't sleep well last night."

"Fine," Caroline huffed, sinking into the couch. Back to pouting it was, then. Gwen could feel her annoyance growing but forced herself to take a minute and calm down. She couldn't afford to lose Caroline as a friend. Plus, no one had seen that side of her here. She wanted to keep it in the past.

"Listen, let me get cleaned up and we'll go out for some…" she paused, glancing at the clock behind her. "Dinner? But not at the Grill. You can tell me every detail and we'll dissect until it doesn't mean anything anymore."

Caroline brightened again. "Finally, some enthusiasm. You go shower because, and no offense, you stink, and I'll pick a place from the many dining options of Mystic Falls."

* * *

Caroline decided on Tony's, the only pizza place in town. It was on the edge of downtown, in the newer part, which was perfect. It was far enough from the Grill that Gwen didn't worry about running into anyone. While there was still a lot she didn't know about Damon, she knew he was partial to his bourbon. Tony's didn't have a liquor license. That and its small dining room, made it a less popular spot than the Grill.

The girls camped out in a booth and splurged on a large pepperoni pizza. Gwen ate while Caroline filled her in on every detail from her time with Matt. There really wasn't much to analyze, but Gwen played along, nodding and humming in agreement. Occasionally, Caroline asked for her input and she gave a positive, but vague, answer that always seemed to be what Caroline wanted to hear. Gwen may not have cared much about the conversation, but she appreciated the distraction. As they ate and talked, Gwen finally started to feel calm. It was probably all the pizza, putting her into a food coma. She didn't care; she needed to sleep.

They stayed at the restaurant for two hours, ordering dessert so their waiter didn't get annoyed they were hogging a table. Caroline dropped her off at home when they were done eating, saying she'd see Gwen on Monday and to check her phone more often.

"I promise to check it every minute," she joked, laughing as she slammed the car door. Once inside, she made sure to lock the front door. Vampires may not be allowed in without an invite, but that wasn't the same case for humans. Exhausted, she climbed the stairs, hoping for a long and undisturbed sleep.

* * *

Gwen slept until late the next morning. She would have slept longer if it hadn't been for the tapping on her window at eleven. She ignored it at first, long used to her winged visitor. As she came to, however, she gradually remembered reading about vampires controlling things, like animals and the weather. Anger surged through her as she jumped out of bed and rushed toward the window, violently throwing aside the curtains and opening the window. Waving her arms and yelling like a lunatic, she scared the bird off.

After closing the window, she collapsed back on her bed. Gwen realized, of course, that it was possible the bird that had been visiting her for almost a month was simply an odd bird. It was also possible that — for whatever reason — Damon had sent it to spy on her. She groaned out of frustration. Something was going to have to change. Gwen couldn't be like this every day. For starters, she couldn't hide out in the house forever. Plus, Ric would probably send her back to therapy if she didn't get her anxiety under control.

Rolling over, she reached for her phone, and was surprised to only find cold pressed wood instead of cold plastic. She lifted her head to see if it was just out of reach, but found it wasn't there at all. Head dropping back to her pillow, Gwen tried to remember where she had it last. While Caroline had harped on her for not answering it, she couldn't remember taking it with her to dinner last night. It must be in the office still, she thought. Figuring she might as well start her day, she got out of bed and slipped on a sweatshirt to shield her against the chill of the air.

Gwen was halfway down the stairs when there was a sudden knock. She stopped, waiting to see what the person did next. There was no way to see who was at the door, not from the stairs anyway. She'd have to walk all the way down and look through the peephole. If it was a person, she could probably do it without alerting them. If it was a vampire, they already knew she was in the house. They knocked again.

"Gwen? Are you in there?" a female voice asked, the intensity of her knocking increasing. Relieved, Gwen descended the remaining steps and opened the door to find Jeremy and Elena's aunt on her front porch. She was bundled up in a puffy coat, gloves, and scarf and was still visibly shivering. The cold air sent a chill through Gwen as she stood at the door. She was grateful she'd grabbed her sweatshirt before coming downstairs.

"Oh, thank god," Jenna sighed. "Is it so hard to answer your phone? I thought your generation was glued to them."

"I, um, left it in the office last night. I think it might be dead," she explained, motioning for Jenna to come inside. It was too cold to stand with the door open; her pajamas weren't enough to combat it. It seemed the weather was finally transitioning from fall into winter. "Is something wrong?"

Jenna shook her head, slightly bouncing on her toes as she tried to warm up. "Ric called. He couldn't get ahold of you and asked me to come check on you."

"Oh, well, I'm fine," Gwen said, awkwardly folding her arms in front of her. She hadn't spent a lot of time with Jenna, though she seemed nice enough. But it was a little weird for her to come check on Gwen.

"I see that. He also asked if I would convince you to come to my house for a bit."

Gwen grimaced, looking for an excuse.

Jenna held up a hand, a look of understanding on her face. "I know, and I told him it would be super weird since we don't really know each other. But," she said, her tone becoming more serious than flippant, "he is worried about you. So why don't we humor him? I'm going to run to the store and get some things for a late lunch-early dinner. You go get dressed and grab any schoolwork you need to do, and I'll pick you up on my way back. It'll just be a couple hours, completely casual. What do you say?"

Gwen hesitated. It was going to be awkward no matter how Jenna tried to spin it. Not only had she not spent a lot of time with Jenna, but she'd barely spoken to Jeremy or Elena. Her lack of interactions with Jeremy made sense; he was younger and hung out with a different crowd. But Gwen spent most of her time with Caroline and Bonnie and had probably talked with Elena for all of ten minutes. But Ric was worried, and she didn't want him to think something was wrong. She hadn't decided if she was going to confront him about searching for Isobel's killer or not.

Nodding, she said, "All right. I'll need twenty, maybe thirty minutes. That ok?"

"Perfect," Jenna said, her words sounding like an almost relieved exhale. She turned toward the door, and then paused. Looking back at Gwen, she said, rather sternly, "Charge your phone and give your uncle a call before his head explodes."

Gwen laughed. "I will, promise."

After Jenna left, Gwen went to the office to find her phone, which was dead. She plugged it in back upstairs in her room, letting in charge while she dressed. As soon as the phone had charged enough to turn back on, Gwen called her uncle, ignore the numerous missed calls and texts.

"Where the fuck have you been?" he snapped, not even bothering with a 'hello.'

"Wow, dramatic much?" she asked.

"I didn't hear from you at all yesterday and you haven't responded to one call this morning. I think I'm entitled."

Gwen paused, considering how she wanted this conversation to go. He may have every right to worry about her, but she had every right to be angry with him. Only he didn't know she did. She decided to play nice, at least for now.

"I'm sorry," she said, hoping she sounded genuinely apologetic. It would be quite the feat considering how annoyed she felt talking to him. "I was working on an assignment all day yesterday and went out with Caroline for dinner. I was so tired when I got back, I just passed out. I didn't realize until this morning that I hadn't charged my phone."

She heard Ric sigh on the other end. He believed her explanation, which he should since it was more or less the truth, and was calming down. Now, she needed to wait. Let him be the first to talk.

"Don't let it happen again, all right?"

"I'll try not to. I don't know why you worry so much," she said, her tone blithe, "it's not like there's any trouble here. Apart from a few animal attacks, it's perfectly safe."

She was baiting him, wanting to see if he would contradict her. He either didn't hear her or chose to ignore her because he didn't say anything. He was so quite that, for a minute, Gwen thought he might have hung up on her.

"Listen," he finally said, sounding distant. "I have to go; I should be home around eight. Are you going to Jenna's."

"Yes, it won't be at all awkward," she said sarcastically, wanting him to know how she felt.

"You'll be fine. Gotta go. Love you."

"Love you, too," she mumbled before ending the call.

Ten minutes later, she was sliding into the passenger's seat of Jenna's car. The Gilbert house was about a fifteen-minute drive from town, twenty-five from Gwen's house. Needless to say, the awkwardness started early. Jenna did her best to make conversation, asking about school and work. Gwen answered, trying to respond with more that short sentences. Honestly, her mind was still a little preoccupied with vampires. A silence fell between them about eight minutes into the drive. Gwen, unable to stand it for long, blurted out the first thing that came to her.

"I think my uncle really likes you," she said quickly, blushing. She was so stupid. It definitely wasn't her place to say anything.

"Oh?" Jenna was surprised, but Gwen thought that might be more to outburst than what she had said. In fact, Jenna looked pleased with the news. Giving Gwen a conspiratorially look, she said, "Between us, I like him, too. But I am a little worried about the situation with his wife. It seems as if he's still dealing with it."

Jenna had no idea. "He is," she admitted. "But, between us, I think he's ready to move on."

"I won't give up hope then," Jenna said optimistically as she turned onto a two-lane road thickly lined on both sides with leafless trees.

After that, the conversation flowed more easily between them. Jenna asked about Gwen photography, which was always something she could talk about. She actually hadn't been taking a lot of photos that weren't somehow related to school. Unless she got an exceptionally unique shot, she had plenty of examples of sports and candid shots of student events for her portfolio. She needed to add more diverse examples, but it was hard to do that with her work schedule. Plus, the town didn't offer much that would make unique or interesting shots. Jenna suggested she check out some the historic buildings, both the ruins and still standing. Gwen nodded thoughtfully; it could be something. Maybe it could be part of a before and after series, if she could find photos of the original structures.

Jenna pulled into the driveway of a two-story home that looked like every other home on the street. As Gwen placed the strap of her bag over head, Jenna walked to the back of the car to grab the groceries.

"Do you need any help?" she asked.

"No, it's just two bags," Jenna said, closing the trunk a moment later.

Gwen waited for Jenna to walk in front, feeling awkward again. She realized Jenna hadn't actually said if Jeremy or Elena were home. It might be less awkward if they weren't, she thought. Jenna seemed pretty cool. But those hopes were dashed when they entered the house and saw Jeremy sitting on the couch. Music played loudly from the TV, which showed the pause screen of a video game. When they walked in, Jeremy had been glancing at a notebook and typing on a laptop. Gwen wondered if he switched activities when he heard the car in the driveway.

"Nice save," Jenna commented, apparently thinking the same as Gwen.

Jeremy laughed, the corner of his mouth twitching up to form a half-smile. "I swear I've been working. I have three pages done, you can check."

"Don't think I won't," Jenna teased. "By the way, do you two know each other?" When they both nodded, Jenna broke into a smile. "Cool. Gwen, you can hang out here while I make us lunch. Jeremy, be a good host."

Jeremy mock-saluted his aunt while Gwen dropped her bag on the couch next to Jeremy. Taking off her outerwear, she asked, "So… what are you working on?"

"It's an extra credit essay for Mr. Saltzman. I mean —"

"It's fine," she said, waving off his worry over calling her uncle by his last name. That's who he was to Jeremy, and she used to her peers referring to him as "Mr. Saltzman." Sitting down on the couch, she asked "What topic did he give you?"

"Actually, he, uh, he let me pick. It had to be about local history so I'm basing it after one of my ancestor's journals. He was alive during the Civil War. Wrote about some pretty crazy stuff."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Here," Jeremy said, picking up an old, leather journal and handing it to her. "Take a look. Spring and summer of 1864 are, uh, particularly interesting."

Gwen gently took the book from him, flipping through the pages until she found some pages within the timeframe he'd mentioned. As she read, her stomach tightened. Jeremy's ancestor wrote about mysterious attacks, and bodies found drained of blood with violent wounds on their necks. Unlike today, however, the author and the rest of the town seemed to know the source of the attacks was vampires. In fact, they believed the town was overrun with them.

"Crazy, right?" Jeremy asked after she'd read a few pages. Mouth dry, Gwen could only nod, but he didn't notice the lack of enthusiasm in her response. "I have this friend who's convinced what Jonathan Gilbert wrote about the vampires is true. She's even found "mysterious" attacks going back decades."

"So what? The town's haunted by a blood thirsty monster?" Gwen asked, working to make her tone light and derisive.

Jeremy shrugged. "I don't know. I think Johnathan Gilbert believed they were real. There's a bit of a crazy gene in the family. I'm taking the approach that the vampire myth was used to marginalize outsiders even further and justify violence used against them."

"Afraid people will think you're crazy if you side with your ancestor?" she teased, passing the journal back to him.

"It's probably too late on that front," Jeremy acknowledged, looking somber for a moment before shaking it off and returning to his easygoing manner. "Anyway, think I'll get an A?"

"Definitely," Gwen said, her mind drifting back to the many files of research on vampires in Ric's office. "It's got mystery and layers. It's his favorite kind of history."

For the next hour, the two teens alternated between homework and video games. Meanwhile, Jenna worked in the kitchen on their meal and, feeling guilty, Gwen asked if she needed any help. Jenna declined, telling her not worry about it but maybe she and Jeremy could set the table in a bit. Gwen returned to proofreading her English essay. Her analysis of the collection of poems her teacher had assigned wasn't bad, but her conclusion was fairly weak. She'd never been good at those.

"Where's your bathroom?" she asked, stretching out the stiffness in her back from hunching over her paper for so long. She really needed to work on her posture.

Still focused on his video game, Jeremy said, "You'll have to use the one upstairs. The one down here isn't working. First door on your left."

"Thanks."

Gwen climbed the stairs, passing pictures of Jeremy and Elena at various stages in their lives. Some were the classic school photos or the studio portraits of the whole family, and there were a few candid shots mixed in. It was a nice layout; something to be found in any normal family home. Except hers and Ric's. After her mom died, Gwen had packed up all their family photos. They were still in the original box from two years ago, and Ric hadn't even tried to get her to unpack them this time. Gwen continued up the stairs, wondering if Elena or Jeremy had wanted to take down their photos and Jenna had stopped them. Or maybe they didn't bother them the way Gwen's pictures had bothered her.

As she reached the top of the stairs, Gwen heard people talking. Startled at first, she quickly remembered Elena lived there and that it must have been her talking a friend. However, she did think it was odd no one had mentioned she was home or had someone over. She about to pass by to the bathroom, not wanting them to catch her and think she was eavesdropping. But Elena's next question changed that.

"What are we going to do about Damon?" Elena asked, unease evident in her voice. "He hurt Caroline, killed Lexi, and almost killed Bonnie tonight. We can't let him get into that tomb. How do we stop him?"

"We don't," someone said. As the second person continued talking, Gwen realized it was Stefan. "He's not going to stop until he gets into that tomb. The only way to prevent him for hurting more people is to help him."

"What?" Elena asked sharply, disgusted at the suggestion.

As she listened to Stefan's calm explanation from the stairs, Gwen began to feel like she had when she'd seen Damon attack the girl. Gripping the rail for support, she turned around and went back downstairs, forgetting why she'd gone up in the first place.

The vampire situation in Mystic Falls was far worse than she'd thought, and it sounded like it wasn't going to get better anytime soon.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Things started to change for Gwen over the next week. She elected to not confront Ric about his real reason for coming to Mystic Falls. Instead, she followed in his and Isobel's footsteps and immersed herself in research. However, hers had a much narrower scope: Mystic Falls and the Salvatores. Thanks to Jeremy, she had a pretty good idea of where to start. But between work, yearbook duties, and school, she barely had any time to spend in the library researching town history. By Thursday, she'd made up her mind; something had to go.

Claire, the yearbook editor, was less than pleased. If the club sponsor hadn't been present, a rare occurrence itself, Gwen guessed she would have thrown a tantrum. As it was, she could barely keep her voice from screeching as Gwen turned in her equipment.

"You can't quit! We have championships coming up!"

Gwen shrugged, affecting an apologetic demeanor. "I'm sorry. But my grades are bad, and my uncle said those come first. I'm off of staff until they come back up."

"Like I'll let you back on," Claire scoffed.

Gwen shrugged again. She had more important things to worry about than football championships. Like keeping her uncle alive and maybe stopping a tomb full of starving vampires from being let loose on the town.

Standing up, Gwen gathered her things and with an equal mix of confidence and annoyance said, "Claire, you have two very competent photographers left. If you can stop harping on them every two minutes, they may actually put effort into their work. Now, I have to go. Good luck with championships."

She left Claire, mouth gaping, in her wake, getting a few thumbs up from other staff members as she went. Gwen smirked. Even though she'd only been on staff for a month, it had been hell. Claire was way too invested in something that would ultimately end up forgotten on a shelf collecting dust or in a box. Feeling a little too pleased with herself, Gwen left the school for the library. She had about two hours before her shift started at the Grill.

Head bowed against the wind, Gwen walked the few blocks from the school to the library. Winter had truly set in now, she thought as the freezing air cut through her coat. She really should find her heavier coat, even if it was obnoxiously puffy. It's not like she needed the full use of her arms while she was outside, especially since she was no longer taking photos for the school. Gwen bit her lip, worry tinging her moment of victory. She had no idea how she would explain dropping yearbook to Ric, and she'd have to come up with something before someone at the school told him.

Between her thoughts and the wind, it was only a matter of time before she ran into someone. She just wished that person hadn't been Stefan.

"Sorry," she mumbled, her cheeks warm from embarrassment.

Stefan, who had reached out to steady her when they collided, dropped his hands, smiling good-naturedly. But there was a tightness around his eyes, suggesting that maybe he wasn't as calm and friendly as he was trying to project. "Don't worry about it. I was hoping to run into you actually."

"Really? Why?"

"It's about our project for English. I'm not going to be able to work on it tonight," he explained.

Gwen had completely forgotten about the project; but he didn't need to know that. "Oh, uh, why not?"

He hesitated. Gwen couldn't tell if it was because he wasn't sure what to tell her or if he wasn't comfortable telling her anything. The second option was, honestly, just as likely as the first. They weren't friends. He didn't owe her a detailed explanation.

"It's family stuff," he finally said, his friendly demeanor falling and replaced by one of clear stress. "Damon's skipped town and I'm not sure what he's going to do. He wasn't in the best state of mind when he took off. You wouldn't know where he's going, would you? He hasn't reached out to you?"

"Why would he tell me where he was going?" Gwen asked, genuinely confused.

"I thought you two were friends?" Stefan looked crestfallen, as if he'd been holding out hope that she had some insight into whatever was going on with his brother.

Gwen dropped her eyes, shifting her weight to her left foot. She had no idea what Damon was to her, or why he'd mention her to Stefan. "I don't know if I'd say we're friends. I mean, I'm mostly his waitress. I don't know him that well. Wouldn't have pegged him as unstable though."

Stefan gave a hollow laugh. "Well, it's probably for the best that you're not close with him. The people he's close to… they get hurt. If he comes back, you may want to keep your distance."

Gwen's brow furrowed. Stefan's concern, while appreciated, didn't make a sense. They really hadn't spent much time together at all. "Uh, ok. I can't stop him from coming to the Grill though, and that's usually where I see him. Is there something you're not telling me?"

"No, I, uh, just don't want you to get hurt."

"Thanks, I guess," she said, still thrown by his concern for her well-being. "I have to go to the library. We'll reschedule to do the project?"

"Yeah, sure."

They parted. Resuming her trek to the library, Gwen continued to mull over why Stefan had been so insistent that she stay away from Damon. She knew, from listening in on Elena and Stefan's conversation earlier that week, that he was dangerous, single-minded in his mission to free Katherine. What she didn't know, however, was how she played into any of it. As far as anyone else knew, Gwen was in the dark about the vampires of Mystic Falls. She couldn't see how Damon could have any use for her in his schemes, unlike Caroline and Bonnie.

Heart sinking, Gwen came to an abrupt stop on the sidewalk outside the main library entrance. Damon's alleged interest in her probably had nothing to do with his plans for the tomb. It was far more likely that he had found out about Ric and his plans for revenge. Damon could be planning to use her against her uncle in some way.

Nearly numb from the wind, Gwen finally entered the library and sought out the secluded desk she'd been using all way at the back of the second floor. She didn't have any more time to waste on research. If Damon had found out about her uncle, she needed to act fast. Thoughts swirling in her mind as the beginning stages of a plan started to form, Gwen wandered over to the town history section she'd been haunting. The faded and cracked spines offered her no help. But, as she continued to stare at them, she knew what she had to do.

It was, without question, the dumbest decision she had ever made.

* * *

Everything was almost in place for Gwen's plan to confront Damon. Despite his reluctance, she'd convinced Stefan that they should meet at his house to work on their project. It'd been difficult. It was clear he didn't want to risk her coming into contact with Damon, but her desire to get into the house — and keep him out of hers — was stronger, and he'd caved in the end. Gwen had woken up early that morning to sneak back into the drawer, which she found unlocked this time and containing several more stakes. She took two, just in case, and plucked a few sprigs from the vervain plant Ric kept in the kitchen. Whenever she'd asked about the plant, which looked more like a weed than anything, he'd said it had health properties. By a stretch, she supposed it did.

A horn honked from the front of the house, prompting Gwen to slip on her coat. She left the house to see Caroline's car idling in the driveway. Gwen smiled, both in greeting to her friend and relief that she hadn't bailed. Getting to the Salvatore Boardinghouse would be quite the challenge without a ride. The only downside to Caroline driving was that she'd be on her own and without an escape once she was dropped off. Gwen forced the doubts away. This was going to be fine. She just had to be smart.

"Thanks for the ride, Caroline," Gwen said, buckling her seatbelt. "Ric must have forgotten I needed the car today."

"He really needs to get you a car," Caroline commented as she backed out of the driveway. "How are you getting home?"

"I'll text Ric. He should be done with his stuff in a couple of hours." Gwen's response sounded nonchalant, but the tightness in her stomach intensified. She hadn't thought about after her confrontation. All of her planning had been about the before and during; she hadn't even considered what would happen after or planned an escape route.

There was still time. Gwen could back out now. Tell Caroline Stefan had flaked and cancelled again. She wouldn't be surprised; Stefan was always backing out of things. Taking a deep breath, Gwen pushed her doubt away. She had to do this.

The Salvatore Boardinghouse was on the outskirts of town. The further they drove, the she noticed how the trees became thicker and thicker and houses further and further apart. When they finally pulled into the driveway, Gwen estimated the nearest house to be at least a mile up the road. She would be completely on her own.

"Thanks, again," she said, gathering her things. Caroline nodded, a funny look on her face. She was staring at the house in a way that said she didn't trust it. "Caroline, are you ok?"

"Huh? Yeah, sorry," she said, snapping out of her daze. "I had this feeling of déjà vu. Are you sure you'll be all right? I can stay?"

Gwen smiled reassuringly. "I'll be fine. I'm meeting Stefan, remember."

Caroline hummed, still looking uneasy. "Ok, well, see you later."

"See ya!" Gwen slammed the door and turned to walk up the driveway. From the front door, she waved to Caroline as her friend drove away. Gwen turned to face the door, which gave a daunting vibe with its unusual height and design. Composing herself, she raised her fist and knocked three times. A few moments passed, during which Gwen tried to keep her heartrate normal, before a confused Stefan was opening the door.

"Gwen? What are you doing here?"

"We were meeting to work on the project today. Remember?"

Groaning, he closed his eyes and drew hand over his face. Dropping his hand, he opened the door further to let her inside. "I'm really sorry about this, but I'm going to need to reschedule. There's something I have to go do right now. You can stay here until you can get your ride back. I'd take you, but I'm not going into town."

Though looking apologetic, he said all this very fast, eyes darting to the door. Whatever was going on had him on edge. Gwen wasn't sure how to feel about this new development. If Damon was home, Stefan being gone could make things easier. However, it also made them more dangerous.

"Oh, um, ok," she said, feigning awkwardness. "That's fine. Caroline's on her way to some charity thing but I can probably get Ric to wrap up early and come get me."

"Good, good," Stefan muttered, clearly distracted. He motioned for her to follow him further into the house. Ultimately leading her to what she assumed to be the living room. With the layout and half walls from the second floor, it still resembled a lobby more than anything. Attempts to modernize it had not been successful. "You can wait in here. The kitchen's right through the door on the left there. You can help yourself to anything. I'm so sorry about this."

Observing her surroundings, she set her bag down on the coffee table. "It's all right. Things happen. I'll be fine. You need me to lock up when I leave?"

"Huh?" he asked, seemingly surprised by the question. "Uh, sure. Listen, Damon's upstairs. He probably won't come down, but if he does and you don't feel safe, call me immediately."

With feigned confusion, she said, "I'm sure I'll be fine, Stefan. Damon's not going to do anything to me."

She wasn't sure until after she said it, if that statement was meant to reassure Stefan or herself. If anything, maybe saying it out loud would ensure that's what happened.

Stefan nodded, though he didn't look comforted. After one more rushed apology, he had disappeared out the front door. Left alone in the house, Gwen briefly considered actually texting Ric. It was clear she'd really had no plan and had been driven by fear and panic to confront Damon. There was no way he'd make a deal with her. This whole thing was stupid.

Sighing, she reached into her bag for her phone. Her hand brushed a sprig of vervain as she pulled out the phone. Thinking it was better to be safe than sorry, she took it out too. She was unlocking her phone when something on the shelf caught her eye. Distracted, she lowered her phone and walked over to the bookshelf. The was an old, practically ancient, black and white photo propped up at eye level. Dressed in clothes from the 1860s, Stefan and Damon were frozen mid-laugh, Stefan holding something that looked like a football. They looked happier than she had ever seen them. She knew, from her photography classes, candid photos like this one weren't displayed much back then. Something about them not being considered proper. This image had probably been saved from the trash pile. It had meant something to someone.

"I didn't realize the Grill delivered."

Startled, Gwen spun around to see Damon sauntering down the stairs. He looked as if he'd just woken up: his hair a disheveled mess and black t-shirt wrinkled. Oddly, he didn't seem at all bothered to find her standing alone in his living room.

"We don't. I was supposed to be working on a project with Stefan, but he had an emergency." Her nerves kicked into high gear and she hoped Damon couldn't her pulse race or, even worse, smell the perspiration that had started to form on her palms. She wiped her hands on her jeans, trying to hide it.

"And he left you here to what? Wait for his return?" Damon asked scornfully. He came to stand next her, fixing himself a drink from the bar. Gwen wondered if alcohol helped with the thirst for blood or if he simply liked to drink. He did seem to consume a lot of alcohol.

"Not exactly," Gwen said, sounding unbothered. "I don't have a car and he said he wasn't heading back into town, so I'm waiting for my uncle to come and get me."

She mentally kicked herself for not sending the text to someone. Now, she really didn't have an escape route, and no one who could help her knew where she was. Damon studied her over the rim of his glass, his ice blue stare no less intense than if he had been looking at her normally. She broke eye contact, settling her gaze on the lamp that was visible over his shoulder.

"Well, make yourself at home. Can I offer you a beverage?" he asked, smirking as he gently rocked the glass between his fingers.

Gwen shook her head. "No, I'm good. Actually, I-I was hoping to run into you," she said, cringing at the slight shake in her voice. It didn't help that his smirk had deepened.

"Oh? Missing your favorite customer?"

Gwen rolled her eyes. His smugness was annoying enough to push her past her nervousness. Besides, he wouldn't take her seriously if she sounded like a scared little girl. "Not quite. I wanted to talk to you about what I saw in the alleyway behind the Grill the night of Stefan's birthday party."

Damon froze mid-sip. His eyes darted to her, narrowed in skepticism. Smugness gone, he asked, "And what is that you saw?"

"You attacking, well, feeding off of a girl."

The next few seconds were the tensest Gwen had ever experienced. Damon's usual cocky demeanor was gone, replaced by blank features. She couldn't tell if he was angry or worried about what she said. Gwen couldn't predict what he was going to do — and that made her more nervous than anything else.

In a blink, he was across the room, pinning her against the bookshelf. The shelves dug uncomfortably into her back. Instinctively, Gwen looked to find a way to escape. But there wasn't one. She knew he was too strong to fight, and she'd stupidly left the stake in her bag.

"All right, you know what I am. So, what do you want? To be turned? To save me?" he asked, practically snarling.

"God, no," she scoffed with a confidence she certainly didn't feel. "I want to make a deal with you."

Surprised, he took a step back, giving her just enough space for her to slip out from between him and bookshelf. With a comfortable distance between them, albeit one he could close at any time, she continued.

"I know what you are, and I know what you want. I'll help you get Katherine out of the tomb, but I need you do something in return."

He laughed humorlessly, though his stance relaxed. "And how exactly can you help me?"

"Information, getting into places you can't, and you don't have to worry about me double crossing you," she listed, glaring slightly. She knew she would have a hard time getting him to take her seriously, but that didn't mean it didn't annoy her.

"And what makes you think I'm going to be double-crossed?"

She shrugged. "People don't like it when you hurt the ones they care about."

"True," he muttered with a tilt of his head. "All right, you're offering to be my spy and errand girl in return for what?"

Gwen bit her lip. She didn't want to give too much away when it came to Ric in case it caused Damon to seek him out instead. She had to choose her words carefully. "For starters, if I'm going to be helping you, I want you to leave Caroline out of all of your future schemes. I think you've done enough damage there. I also want you to swear that no matter what he does, you will not go after, maim, or kill my uncle. And —"

"Hang on," he said, suddenly interested in her demands. "You want me to promise to not do anything about someone who clearly has a vendetta against me?"

"Yes." She crossed her arms across her stomach. This was the tricky part. It was an insane request, but it was the most important one.

"Care to elaborate?" He plopped down onto the couch, resting his feet on the coffee table near her bag. Again, Gwen thought of the stakes she had grabbed earlier and was suddenly glad she'd left them in the bag. Clearly, they wouldn't have been much use to her, and they might have made him less amenable to her offer.

"Not really."

"Do it anyway," he demanded, the edge in his voice suggesting she quit stalling.

She sighed, thinking of how to explain it enough without telling him everything. "He lost someone, someone important, and he's pretty sure it was a vampire who killed them. He's looking for revenge."

"And he thinks it's me?"

"I don't know." That at least was the truth. She copied his earlier action and sat down in one of the high-backed leather chairs across from him. "I don't think he even knows who you are, but I think it's you. And if I'm able to figure all this out after a week, I'm sure he will too — and soon."

"I'm trembling," he said, smirk returning. "Why are you so sure it's me? There are a lot of vampires out there."

"This person my uncle lost they left a lot of research behind. Your name appears a few times in it. By the way, been to Duke University in the last couple of years?"

"I've been a lot of places," he said, taking another drink. Silence fell between them, and Gwen accepted he wouldn't give her a straight answer. It didn't matter; she didn't need to know. In fact, she preferred to not know. It was easier that way.

"So," she said, breaking the silence. "What do you say?"

Eyes trained on her, he set his glass down with a light clink. A moment later he was getting up from the couch and walking to her. She sat up straighter, pushing against the back of the chair while maintaining eye contact with him. He stopped within a few inches of her chair.

"Stand up," he demanded. Gwen did as he instructed, though she took a step back to try to put some distance between them. "You're right, I can't trust Stefan or Elena. Your motives are obvious at least, but there's still one thing."

"What?" she asked, absently twisting her bracelet on her wrist.

"If we're going to work together, and I'm expected to leave certain individuals alone no matter what, I need you to be completely honest with me."

"About?" She had no idea what he was getting at. Gwen thought she'd been honest enough. If he was going to have secrets, she should be able to have a few as well.

If it was possible, his stare seemed to grow more intense. Gwen shifted uncomfortably under it but forced herself to meet his gaze. "What are you?"

Her eyes narrowed, eyebrow raising slightly. "What am I? I'm a human, girl."

She hadn't meant to sound so sarcastic. He was clearly being serious, but it was such a ridiculous question. Seeing his lips go tight, she asked, "What do you mean? I'm not anything."

"You must be something," he countered. She had expected him to sound angry, assuming he thought she was lying. Instead he sounded almost perplexed. "I can't compel you. No human can fight that without —"

"Without this?" she asked, showing him the spring of vervain she'd been holding in her fist. "Yeah, if you've been trying to compel me this whole time, then it wouldn't have worked. See, nothing special. I'm just a somewhat prepared girl trying to make a deal with a vampire. Totally normal."

Damon's mouth curved slightly upwards, momentarily amused and impressed. "I haven't been. I haven't tried to compel you in a while, actually. Did you have that the night we met?"

"No," Gwen answered immediately, vaguely recalling how weird he'd been initially. "You tried to compel me then?"

"Of course," he said, as if it was the most natural thing for him to do. "I thought you'd be easy prey. I mean, you still were even if I couldn't compel you, but that made you too interesting to kill."

"We've only had the vervain plant for a couple of weeks," she mumbled, more to herself than to him, but he still heard it. She chose to ignore the chill Damon's words about her being easy prey sent down her back. He was a vampire after all. She shouldn't be too surprised he'd once considered her food.

"So, back to my question," he said, walking closer so there were only a few inches between them. "What are you?"

His closeness should have made her uncomfortable. But she was too busy recalling some of the weird coincidences that had happened since she moved to Mystic Falls. Gwen shook her head, staring blankly at him. "I-I don't know."

"Then I'm making an addition to our deal," he said, leaning down slightly. "I'll leave Caroline and your uncle alone, you help me get Katherine out of the tomb, and we try to figure out how exactly you're not so 'totally normal.'"

"Deal." Gwen hadn't even hesitated. Ric and Caroline would be safe, which was what she wanted.

Damon looked pleased, which only increased Gwen's unease. He backed away, turning back toward the bar. "Great. Let's celebrate with a drink."

And this time, Gwen accepted his offer.

* * *

**AN: Thank you Wordspin, PrincessMagic, and everyone else who leaves reviews. Getting the notifications and reading them really make my day. And thank you to everyone who is following/reading this story. I hope you all continue to enjoy it. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Bonnie, tell Gwen she has to go to the Decade Dance," Caroline demanded as soon as Gwen was within a couple of feet of their high-top table.

Setting down their waters, Gwen rolled her eyes. Caroline had spent most of lunch trying to convince Gwen to go to the dance. She'd never really been interested in dances; they never sounded like that much fun. Add in that this particular dance required them to dress up in fifties clothing, and there was no way she was going to this one.

"Oh yes, please come to dance and be part of the sad, dateless group," Bonnie said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Well with that sales pitch, how could I refuse?"

Caroline glared at them as they laughed. Haughtily, she said, "I'd like it noted that I am not dateless. My date is scheduled to work that night."

"Noted," Gwen said mockingly. "You guys decide what you want to eat? I'd get it in before the dinner rush."

"We're going to split the nachos," Bonnie said, handing Gwen their menus.

"And can we get the bartender's number with that? Bonnie's been eyeing him all night," Caroline teased. Bonnie covered her face in embarrassment, muttering "please don't" from behind her hands. Gwen glanced behind her to see the latest former Mystic Falls High football star turned bartender. Ben was cute, Gwen had to admit, but there was something off about him. Plus, she couldn't shake how weird it was that he had turned up the day Eric had apparently skipped town. It was too much of a coincidence, but she didn't have a real reason to be suspicious. It was just a feeling.

"If that's what Bonnie wants," Gwen said with a shrug. "But I think you could do better."

"He's not that bad," Bonnie said defensively.

"I suppose he'd be a fun date," Gwen conceded. "Actually, I have his number. You want it?"

"No!" Bonnie looked mortified. "You can't give me his number. He'd think I was a stalker or something."

"Fair enough." Gwen noticed Matt watching them from across the room, and decided she better get back to work before he said something. But Caroline stopped her before she could get too far.

"Wait, I'm serious," she said. "We should all go to the dance together. It'll be fun. We'll be each other's dates. And Gwen, Bonnie and I will help you find clothes because I know you have nothing for the theme."

In true Caroline fashion, she had made her argument and given solutions to any hurdles Gwen could have thought to have thrown at her. Well, except for the fact that she didn't want to go. But she could see Bonnie was caving and knew that she wasn't going to get her way. Caroline would; they would all be going to this dance.

"Fine," she agreed with an exasperated sigh. "Now, let me get back to work before I get in trouble for socializing on the clock — again."

Caroline let her go, looking far too excited about a school dance. Who knows, Gwen thought, maybe the ones in Mystic Falls were worth attending. She'd just put in Bonnie and Caroline's order when her phone started to vibrate in her back pocket. The staff wasn't supposed to have their phones on them while working. Their manager said they were too distracted by their phones and the quality of service and food suffered. He wasn't wrong. However, if he wasn't onsite, everyone had their phone in their pocket. Checking the caller ID revealed that it was Damon. Gwen stepped into the small hallway that led to the restrooms. It was isolated and empty enough that she could answer it in private.

"What?" she asked, careful to keep her voice low. She didn't want any of her coworkers to catch her making a call.

"Hello to you, too," Damon said, feigning hurt at her rudeness. She rolled her eyes, waiting for him to get to the point of his call. Gwen had learned these things went faster if she just let him talk. "Are you going to the dance tomorrow night?"

"Uh, yeah. Why?" She been expecting him to ask her about information on Elena or Stefan. Gwen couldn't imagine he was truly interested in a high school dance.

"There's a rogue vampire in town that's been stalking Elena. We're trying to lure him to the dance to find out who he is. Might not be the best place to be."

His tone was completely void of emotion, but she couldn't stop the flare of hope that he might care about her well-being. It seemed her crush hadn't been dampened too much upon learning the truth about Damon, which was unfortunate for her since he was still very in love with Katherine.

"I can't get out of it. I promised Caroline I'd go. Anyway, my uncle is chaperoning so I'm pretty sure he was going to make go," she explained, ignoring her inconvenient feelings. "I guess you'll just have to take care of this guy without causing collateral damage."

He scoffed derisively. "That's not asking for much, is it?"

"Do your best. Is there anything else? I'm at work and really can't be on the phone."

"No, wait. Keep some of that vervain on you tomorrow. And maybe a stake or two."

* * *

Caroline and Bonnie kept their promise, showing up promptly at six-thirty to help her get dressed. Ric let them in on his way to pick up Jenna. Ric was dressed in jeans, a button-up shirt, and an old letterman jacket from the school. She wondered where he'd found it and how it could possibly fit him, but he'd refused to say. In the end, she figured he and some of the other male staff members probably raided the athletics storage closest. Mercifully, he kept his parenting a minimum. There wasn't a point to him warning them to behave or be home by curfew. He'd be there to make sure they did.

Her two friends were looking as if they'd stepped out of the pages of an old yearbook. Apparently, they weren't wasting anytime. Caroline marched them to the living room where she started laying out outfits for Gwen to choose from while directing Bonnie to go upstairs and turn on whatever styling tools Gwen had. For a moment Gwen was stunned by Caroline's almost militant approach to dressing for a dance, and then she remembered who she was dealing with.

"Don't just stand there," Caroline snapped. "Start looking."

Gwen quickly settled on a dark green dress with white polka dots. It was the kind that buttoned up the front and had a collar, like a business shirt but softer. Caroline even had the matching belt. She picked up the dress and belt, running upstairs before Caroline had too much time to critique the outfit. It was simple and she had a pair of ballet flats that would match. She passed Bonnie in the bathroom. She was on her phone as she waited for the curling iron to heat up.

Glancing up, she instructed, "Hurry up and change. Your hair is going to take a bit."

Gwen nodded, trying not to be annoyed at how bossy they were being. She had to remind herself that they were only trying to help. After closing her bedroom door, she quickly changed into the dress. It was a little loose, but Gwen didn't mind. She hated when clothes were skintight. They made her feel like she couldn't breathe. She then went to her closet to find the ballet shoes. That didn't take her too long either; they were in the third shoe box she inspected. She slipped them on and went to the bathroom, where Bonnie and Caroline were waiting for her.

Bonnie had decided to give Gwen the large, movie-star curls that were popular back in the fifties. Allegedly, they were fast to do, especially on someone else. Gwen wouldn't know. She wasn't very talented when it came to styling hair, so she let Bonnie work. While Bonnie transformed her hair, Gwen applied her makeup, going for a dramatic affect per Caroline's instructions. Caroline kept up a steady stream of conversation, which was good because they were so focused on their tasks, they could barely say more than the few words she needed. When they were done, Gwen thought she did resemble a fifties movie star a little bit.

"Perfect!" Caroline practically squealed, clapping her hands.

"Thank you," Bonnie and Gwen said at the same time, leading all three to burst into giggles.

Caroline was the first to stop and set to refocusing them. "All right, we didn't get all dolled up for nothing. Let's go!"

Caroline and Bonnie led the way down the stairs. Gwen following after making sure everything was turned off. On their way out, they gathered the other outfits to put in the back of Caroline's car. Finally, they were driving off toward the school, singing loudly to the latest hit on the radio.

The dance wasn't as bad as Gwen had thought it would be. If she were being honest, it was actually fun. They spent the first hour dancing, enjoying the mix of old classics and new hits. Gasping for breath, Bonnie demanded they take a break and get some punch. Caroline and Gwen agreed. Gwen needed a moment to cool down, anyway. The gym wasn't well ventilated, and she was feeling very flushed from the dancing and warm room. Gwen went to find them a table while the other two went to get them drinks. She could see Ric and Jenna hanging around the refreshments table. There was less of a chance of an interaction if she kept her distance from the table. When her friends joined her, they were both glaring daggers at something or, more likely, someone behind her. Gwen turned her head slightly to look over her shoulder, and saw Damon, Elena, and Stefan clustered together.

"What is he doing here?" Caroline asked, her disgust clearly written on her face.

"Chaperoning?" Gwen supplied helpfully. She knew both girls had every right to hate Damon, part of her did for them, but they'd been having fun. Selfishly, she was hoping his presence didn't ruin the night. It shouldn't. He didn't have a reason to talk to any of them, not publicly at least.

"I don't know, but he better not try anything." Bonnie's glare was so intense, Gwen didn't it was possible for her eyes to narrow even further.

"This is fun," Gwen muttered, taking a sip of her punch.

"Ugh," Caroline said dramatically. "What do you want?"

"Hello to you, too, Caroline," Damon drawled from behind her. Gwen slid off her chair so she didn't have to sit awkwardly in the middle the tense exchange. Caroline and Bonnie looked like they were about two seconds from killing Damon, who, for his part, was looking way too relaxed. He almost seemed to be enjoying their hostility. With a tilt of his head, he acknowledged the other two girls. "Bonnie. Gwen."

"What do you want, Damon?" Bonnie asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"I come in peace," he said, holding up his hands in a sign of surrender. The gesture only served to irritate Gwen and Bonnie more, not that he seemed to notice. Or he did realize it and he didn't care. "I need to steal Gwen for a moment, if you don't mind."

"Actually —"

"It's fine," Gwen said, cutting off Caroline's retort. "I'll be right back."

Damon gave the others a mock bow before following Gwen from the table. She had intended to lead them to a corner of the room, far from Ric, but Damon placed a hand on her back and led her to the dance floor.

"What are you doing?" she hissed, as he spun her around to face him.

"Blending in," he said, his eyes scanning the room. She craned her head to follow his gaze when he placed his hands on her waist and pulled her closer. "Don't look. I'm trying to be subtle."

"Yeah, you're really blending in your modern-day clothes," she scoffed, following his lead as they swayed ever so slightly to the music. She was too busy worrying about being spotted by Ric to really focus on how close they were. "Surely, you had some vintage clothes that you could have dug out of storage."

Damon sighed. "Listen…"

"What?" she asked, unable to stop an amused smile from breaking through. Thinking she had stumped him, she paused her search for Ric to give Damon her full attention. Her smile fell slightly at the look on his face. His mouth was hanging open slightly and his eyes were scrunched up. She thought he might have seemed confused, thought could imagine about what. "Damon? Is something wrong?"

Clearing his throat, he said, "No, you, uh, you look nice."

"Oh. Thanks."

He nodded, clearing his throat again. "Did you bring the stakes with you?" he asked, his manner almost businesslike. She swore his mood swings were going to give her whiplash.

"No, it was kind of hard to get to them between Ric, Bonnie, and Caroline all running around the house," she explained when he huffed in annoyance at her. "It's not like I planned to forget them. Besides, I thought you said this guy was focused on Elena. Shouldn't the rest of us be safe?"

"Not necessarily. He doesn't seem too worried about drawing attention to himself."

"Great, just what this dance needed: the threat of murder," Gwen quipped.

Damon laughed. "Matches the theme better than you think."

"So who are we looking for?" Gwen asked, scanning the room over his shoulder. She'd decided it was better they had as little eye contact as possible as long as they were in this close proximity to each other. Otherwise, she'd be as red as Caroline's lipstick and that would be more mortifying than anything.

"I thought we were just enjoying a dance."

Unexpectedly, he twirled her around twice, causing her to lose her balance. Laughing, she used his arms to right herself. She was about to teasingly tell him off for almost making her fall down but was stopped by the sight of Ric approaching them.

"Shit," she mumbled, pulling away from Damon. "My uncle's coming over here."

"Perfect, I'd love to meet the man who might want to kill me." Damon took her hand and led them over to Ric, so they'd meet him halfway.

"Damon, we have a deal," she reminded me in a whisper when Ric was about ten feet away.

"Relax, I'll behave."

Unsurprisingly, Gwen had a hard time believing him. This was such a bad idea. She still didn't know if Ric thought Damon killed Isobel but could tell from the tightness of his mouth that he wasn't happy. Ric came to a stop in front them a moment later.

"Gwen, care to introduce me to your friend?" he asked. His tone was polite like he was meeting the parent of one of his students, but his eyes never left Damon as he spoke.

"This is Damon. Stefan's older brother. He's chaperoning, too." Gwen surprised herself with how well she was able to maintain a calm, unbothered exterior while her heart pounded away. Damon squeezed her hand, which she had forgotten he was still holding, as if to tell her to relax. She pulled her hand away as she took a step away from Damon.

"Chaperones don't usually dance with students," Ric commented, his stare growing colder.

"Usually, but I couldn't let the prettiest girl her sit out during one of her favorite songs," Damon explained, somehow managing to sound apologetic and blasé. "Besides, Gwen and I go way back."

"Damon's a regular at the Grill," Gwen offered as an explanation. Ric's eyes darted to her and, for a moment, Gwen thought she saw fear pass through them. Then they returned to Damon. Regardless of what Ric knew, it obvious he didn't like Damon. He was clearly fighting the urge to tell him to 'fuck off' or punch him.

"Still, I don't think it's appropriate. Gwen why don't you go find Caroline and Bonnie?"

"Actually, I need a drink. Damon," she said, forcing him to break the staring contest he was having with her uncle. "You said you needed to find Stefan, remember?"

"Right," he said, thankfully picking up on her hint to get away from Ric. "Enjoy dancing the night away _in the gym_."

She nodded. "I will."

He walked away, disappearing into the cluster of students and leaving Gwen alone with Ric. She faced her uncle, bracing for whatever outburst was coming. Instead, she found him standing with his eyes closed and breathing deeply. When he opened his eyes again, his anger was still visible despite the pleasant façade he had affected.

"We'll talk later," he said firmly. "I need to do a round."

Gwen sighed with relief. She could handle whatever was going to happen as long as it didn't happen here. She wanted Ric and Damon as far apart as possible. Feeling dizzy, Gwen maneuvered her way to the refreshment table. She'd barely had any punch before Damon had pulled her to the dance floor. With all the dancing, she was a bit dehydrated. She looked around for Caroline and Bonnie as she walked toward the table near the bleachers, but there were too many students for her to find them. She'd have to look for them later.

The crowd around the drinks and snacks was pretty sparse. She saw Jenna standing not far away and waved to her when they made eye contact. She didn't try to stop Gwen from drinking the punch, so Gwen figured it was safe. Gwen felt a little better as she drank the cool yet sickly sweet drink. She practically gulped it down and was still thirsty when she'd finished. As she refilled her cup, a boy came to stand next to her. She didn't pay him much attention and was startled when he started to talk to her, nearly spilling her drink.

"Having fun?" he asked. "Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, it's not your fault," Gwen said, trying to shake the spilled juice from her hand. The boy handed her a napkin. "Thank you."

"Yeah, sure. ] I'm not sure if you know me, but —"

"We have French together," Gwen said, finally getting a good look at him. "You usually sit in the back. Sam, right?"

"It's Scott, but the rest's right," he said, brightening even though she hadn't remembered his name.

Now that Gwen really looked at him, she noticed he was actually very cute: messy brown hair, warm hazel eyes, and an athletic build. She thought he might be on the soccer team, but she might be making that up. It had been awhile since first day introductions. He kept wiping hands on his pants, putting them in his coat pockets, and taking them out again. For a moment, Gwen wondered if this was the rogue vampire, and then immediately discarded the idea. He didn't give off the deranged killer vibe.

"Sorry, and to answer your question, I was having fun but," she glanced over to Jenna to see Ric had rejoined her. He was putting on a good face for Jenna, but she could tell it was forced. "I think I'm in trouble now."

"Your uncle doesn't like your boyfriend?" Scott guessed.

"What? Oh, Damon? He's not my boyfriend, but you're right: Ric doesn't like him." Even though she was ready to gulp down her next cup of punch, she restrained herself and only took a sip. She didn't want him to think she was a freak. "Wait. Were you watching me?"

He blushed as he nervously ran his fingers through his hair. "Not exactly. More of just passing by and noticed. I was trying to figure out a way to talk to you."

Feeling her own cheeks warm, Gwen ducked her head. "Well, I guess you figured it out because we're talking now."

Smiling, he said, "Yeah, I guess I did."

With Caroline and Bonnie still MIA, Gwen decided to stay and talk with Scott for a bit. He seemed nice but, more importantly, he was normal. She didn't have to worry about saying the wrong thing and it leading to a potentially disastrous outcome. Scott had lived in Mystic Falls his whole life, only leaving to visit relatives in Richmond and Fairfax. His family was one of the few left in the area that had an actual working farm."

"What? Like chickens and cows?" Gwen teased, simultaneously surprised and interested. She could vaguely recall a trip to a dairy farm in the third grade, but that was the first and last time she'd been around any farm animals.

"And a few goats and pigs," he said, laughing. "You should come out some time. See how it all works."

"Yeah, that'd be fun."

He was in the middle of telling her about the soccer team when they were joined by Caroline and Bonnie. As they approached, Gwen noticed them share a conspiratorial look before giggling. She raised an eyebrow at Caroline, who shook her head as if to say not to worry about it.

"Hi Scott, do you mind if we steal Gwen back for a bit? I just requested a song and I _need_ her for it," Caroline said, smiling sweetly at him.

"Uh, sure," Scott mumbled, blushing again. "I'll see you in class on Monday."

Gwen nodded, awkwardly waving good-bye as she followed Bonnie and Caroline back to the dance floor. They passed by Jenna and Ric, who mouthed 'ten minutes' at her. She mouthed back an 'ok', groaning internally. Whatever good feeling she had was dulled by the impending confrontation with Ric. Not wanting to have to explain anything to her friends, she forced herself to smile as she waited to learn what Caroline had in store for her.

Thankfully, it appeared Caroline just wanted to talk.

"So, how's Scott?" Caroline asked in a singsong voice.

"Fine, I guess," Gwen said, feeling defense.

"Oh, come on," Bonnie said, nudging her. "Tell us more. He's liked you for ages."

"I've been here for almost a month," Gwen commented, though she couldn't stop the pleased smile that broke through her indifferent façade. Relenting further, she added, "He's cute and seems pretty nice."

"He is," Caroline said, a little too quick. "Much cuter and nicer than Damon, don't you think?"

Gwen groaned. "How many times do I have to tell you? Damon is just a friend."

"He wasn't looking at you like a friend," Bonnie countered.

"Trust me on this," Gwen said, her frustration with this conversation showing in the curtness of her tone. "We are just friends. He is on some crazy mission to get back with an ex, and I'm not waiting around hoping he'll forget about her. Please stop with this constant inquisition about our relationship."

Caroline and Bonnie stared at her, wide-eyed. She'd never lost her temper with them. Gwen felt guilty, regretting her words.

Sighing, she said, "I'm sorry —"

"No, we're sorry," Caroline interrupted. Bonnie nodded in agreement as Caroline continued her apology. "It's just… Damon's a bad guy and we're worried about you being close to him. Even if you're only friends."

Over Caroline's shoulder, Gwen saw Ric waving to get her attention. She held up her finger to say she'd be there in a minute.

"You're not the only ones," she muttered, turning her attention back to her friends. "I have to go. I'll talk to you guys later, ok?"

The three girls waved good-bye, each wearing an uneasy smile. Even though Gwen still felt guilty for snapping at them, she knew they weren't going to freeze her out of the group. Now all she had to do was get through this conversation with Ric as painlessly as possible.

* * *

It turned out Ric had already said he'd take Jenna home, so Gwen had a little more time to prepare her argument. However, she spent most of the drive trying to be as invisible as possible. She couldn't imagine a more uncomfortable situation than sitting in the backseat of a car while her uncle drove his date home. Well it'd be worse if it had been her mom or if she had a date in the car, she thought. But not by much. Jenna, for her part, did what she could to keep the conversation light.

"Who was that boy you were talking to by the punch table?" Jenna asked, slightly turning in her seat to face Gwen.

"Oh, uh, Scott. We have French class together."

"He was cute."

"Yeah, I guess," Gwen said noncommittally, eyeing the tense set of Ric's shoulders. She couldn't tell if it was the idea of boys in general or just Damon that set him on edge, but she hadn't ever seen him like this. There had been boys in the past, though he hadn't been present for those, she remembered. And he didn't know about the guy in Boston.

When they reached the Gilbert house, Ric got out and walked Jenna to the door. If she wasn't dreading what was about to happen so much, Gwen would have thought it was cute. As it was, she stayed in the backseat, practically pouting. Ric had barely closed the car door when he launched into his rant.

"I don't want you hanging out with Damon anymore. He's too old for you, and any grown man interested in teenagers has problems."

Gwen rolled her eyes. She was almost bored as she explained to him what she had already told Caroline and Bonnie. "We're not dating. I guess you could say we're friends, but I really only see him at work — where he's a customer. I can't really keep him from coming to the Grill. Next argument?"

Even in the dark, she could see his hands tighten on the steering wheel. Maybe irritating him wasn't the best approach. If she wasn't careful, this conversation was going to go into Isobel territory — and she didn't think that would be good for either of them. Gwen had decided she would tell Ric she knew about the vampires and his agenda for moving to Mystic Falls. But they both needed to be calm for that conversation. It would be a disaster if they were already on edge, tempers flaring.

"I don't need another argument," he snapped. "I'm the adult here. Sometimes you have to do what I say, even if you don't like it."

"Well, I don't know what you want me to do about Damon coming to the Grill. That's literally the only time I ever see him," she retorted. The last bit had been true until recently. Still, Ric didn't need to worry about Gwen dating Damon. Like she had told Caroline, he was still hung up on Katherine. Thus, the only time they spent together was centered around reunited the two of them. The only thing that might put her in danger was if Damon was in a particularly bad mood, or no longer saw any use for her.

Ric muttered something under his breath that Gwen didn't catch, before letting out a sigh that sounded a lot more like a huff. "Fine, just don't go out of your way to hang out with him, all right? It's not normal for someone his age to be spending so much time with underage high schoolers."

Gwen thought about pointing out how Damon was, technically, Stefan's guardian and it wasn't that weird, but thought better of it.

"Fine," she agreed while thinking she'd only spend enough time with him to help him get Katherine and keep Ric alive. Sighing quietly so Ric couldn't hear, Gwen realized she was going to have be a lot sneakier about working with Damon. If her uncle didn't catch them, it was only a matter of time before someone mentioned something to him, essentially ratting her out even if they didn't intend to do so. And Damon wasn't going to make any of this easy.

She'd been right all along: School dances weren't worth going to; nothing good came of them.

* * *

**AN: So this is the last complete chapter produced during NaNoWriMo. While I didn't reach 50K for NaNo, I completed 6 chapters and wrote just over 25K. Pretty good considering my schedule. I will try to do some writing over my break and get a few chapters completed and posted before school resumes in January. However, I'm on a break for the next week or so due to finals and an upcoming trip.**

**As always, thank you Wordspin and PrincessMagic for your reviews. I love reading your reactions and thoughts to the chapters, and they help keep me motivated to write. **

**Wordspin—I promise we'll start learning more about what Gwen is soon; but the big reveal is still a bit in the future.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

A couple of weeks had passed since the dance and things were more or less the same. The weather was still cold, though they had yet to see even a hint of snow. School was winding down as they approached winter break. Both teachers and students alike were ready for two weeks of freedom. Even Damon and Gwen's research into the tomb and what she might be was stalled, not that they had put much effort into the latter to be honest.

The only difference in her life was Scott. He was still a little nervous around her, but was slowly becoming more confident and talking to her more since the dance. Gwen learned he was actually a friend of Matt's, making her suspect Caroline and Bonnie had had a hand in him approaching her that night. Initially, she'd been offended at their meddling, but ultimately decided to let it go. Gwen liked Scott. However, it was clear to her that he was hoping to be more than friends. She could see herself liking him in that way eventually, but she wasn't in any rush. Honestly, she was enjoying getting to know him.

"That quiz was horrible," Scott whined after fourth period one day as he waited for her to pack up. They didn't have class together, but Scott's algebra class was right next door and he'd taken to waiting for her. She rolled her eyes good-naturedly as he complained about the quiz they'd taken in third-period French. "I totally bombed. I don't even know why I'm still in that class. It's the only reason I'm ever in danger of not being able to play on the team."

"Because it's required?" Gwen suggested, swinging her bag over her shoulder. "And you chose to take it?"

"I didn't though. I signed up for Spanish, but the class was full, so they put me in French." He pouted, acting as if it was most unfair turn of fate. "Everyone knows the Spanish classes are easier."

Laughing at his dramatics, she said, "It's not that bad. If you spent just a little more time studying and less time playing soccer or video games, you might even do well."

"I don't play video games that much," he argued.

"You and Matt have spent the last three lunch periods talking about nothing but video games. Actually, one single video game, I think," she countered as they wound their way through the hall to her locker.

"It's new! There's a lot to talk about!"

"Whatever," Gwen said with a shake of her head. As she exchanged her morning books for her afternoon texts, her phone started vibrating on the top shelf, emitting a bright white light. She glanced at the screen and frowned. She could see the preview of the message, which had 'call me' written in all caps. Whatever it was better be important. The teachers weren't particularly strict about cell phones, but sometimes they'd randomly take one to appear as if they were enforcing the rules.

"Uh, you go on ahead," Gwen said, needing to get rid of Scott. "I need to go to the restroom before lunch."

Surprised by the sudden distance in her voice, Scott stuttered an "oh, uh, sure" and left for the cafeteria in an almost dejected manner. Gwen was too focused on what Damon could want to notice his change of demeanor.

She waited until he disappeared into the mass of students before closing her clocker and turning in the opposite direction of the cafeteria. Gwen couldn't risk anyone overhearing her phone call and knew the bathroom close to the cafeteria would be too crowded. The one by her uncle's classroom, however, would be empty. In addition to its distance from the cafeteria, it helped that only one of the three toilets worked, making it rarely used by the female students. After checking that all the stalls were empty, she locked the main door and dialed Damon.

"About time," he snapped upon answering. "I've been calling for an hour."

"I was in class," she reminded him, ignoring his huff of irritation. "What's so important?"

"I have a lead. I need you to get Johnathan Gilbert's journal."

"Jeremy has it," Gwen said, remembering the ancient journal from her afternoon at the Gilbert's. "Why not have Elena get it?"

"Because," he said through gritted teeth; his patience ebbing. "He gave it to your uncle. I need you to get it. Now."

She dropped the phone from her ear, groaning. Of course her uncle had the journal. It was almost as if he was intent on getting in the middle of the whole vampire mess. Sighing, she raised the phone back to her ear. "I'll call you when I have it."

Gwen ended the call before Damon could make any more demands. After checking that her phone was on silent, Gwen slid it into her bag, thinking about what to do next. The school was small enough that everyone had the same lunch period, unlike her previous school which had rotations. This meant Ric would be out of his office, though not for long. He wasn't making much of effort when it came getting to know his coworkers.

Of course, she didn't even know if he would have brought the journal to school. But, if he had, now was the best time to check. If it wasn't here, then Gwen would go through the office at home, where she'd have plenty of time since she didn't have work that afternoon. Unlocking the door, she opened it just enough to scope out the hallway. It was, thankfully, empty.

Swiftly, she slid out the door and walked down the hall toward Ric's classroom. As she approached, she could tell the room was dark. Reaching out, she twisted the door handle and was surprised to find it unlocked. An irrational feeling of confidence ran through, excited by how well things were going so far. Hopefully, Ric had been just as trusting — or careless, depending on how you wanted to look at it —about his desk as he is was about his classroom.

Leaving the lights off, she walked toward his desk, which was considerably cleaner than his one at home. If the journal was here, she'd find it quickly. The long drawer that sat over one's legs seemed too shallow to hold the journal she'd seen, but she checked it anyway: Nothing but pens, pencils, and an assortment of other desk supplies. Glancing at the classroom clock, she realized she'd already missed the first ten minutes of lunch. She needed to hurry and make her way back to the cafeteria before Ric returned. Quickly, she opened and searched the three remaining drawers, her disappointment growing when each one revealed only student papers or lesson plans or random junk. She was about to give up when her foot nudged something soft on the floor.

Looking down, she saw Ric's brown leather briefcase tucked under his desk. As she crouched down to inspect the case, Gwen chided herself for forgetting about it. She pulled it toward her and opened it. Her earlier disappoint was instantly replaced by a sense of victory. The journal was right there in the largest pocket of the briefcase. Gwen grabbed it and put in her own bag before sliding the case back in place. She exited the classroom, leaving no sign that anyone had been there.

As she half-walked, half-ran back to the cafeteria, she caught a glimpse of a clock in the hallway. She had about twenty left. Plenty of time to get there, eat some kind of lunch, and pretend she hadn't spent most of the hour stealing from her uncle.

Whatever Damon was looking for better be in this journal, she thought.

* * *

_I have it. Meet me in the back parking lot after school._

Gwen sent the text message, hoping Damon would do as she asked. She couldn't skip class to meet him and didn't want him to randomly show up at school in the middle of the day. Though they hadn't spoken about him since the night of the dance — Ric had been much more interested in Scott lately — she knew her uncle wouldn't react well if he saw her with Damon.

Tapping her fingers as she waited for a response, she smiled in greeting to Matt and Tyler as they sat at their lab station. They all had Biology II together, and their station had been the only one with an empty seat when Gwen transferred to Mystic Falls High. She quickly learned the free seat was, in her opinion, due to the fact that Tyler was an ass and Matt was one of the few people able to overlook it. Gwen could barely tolerate him and that was with Matt sitting between them. She dreaded the day Matt missed class. If there was a lab that day, she might actually kill Tyler.

"Where were you at lunch?" Matt asked.

"I had to talk to Mr. Simmons about an assignment," she explained. "I was having problems with one of the homework questions."

Her screen lit up, Damon's name flashing across it. She grabbed it and set it on the other side of her book. Matt wasn't paying attention to her anymore, however; Tyler was showing him something on his own phone. Glancing down, she opened to text and read Damon's message: _Fine. 3:00. Don__'t be late._

She sighed, relaxing in her seat. At least he wasn't going to nag her for the remainder of the day.

Her final two classes seemed to last longer than two hours. They had a sub in biology, so they spent the period watching a nature documentary. The sub, some recent college graduate looking for a job, didn't care what they did so long as they weren't loud. Most of her classmates spent the period on their phones or whispering to each other. Some, like Tyler, slept. Matt was one of the few that did homework. Gwen alternated between the nature documentary and texting Caroline and Scott. Something was off with the latter, and she found herself growing frustrated with his short replies. Eventually, she stopped texting all together and zoned out until the bell rang.

Her last class of the day was Art History. Gwen had enrolled in the class as a way to get out of gym class since the school didn't offer many electives, but now wished she'd asked for a study hall period. The class was more boring than Algebra II. All they did was read the textbook and write papers. The teacher actually stood up and lectured maybe two times a week. The only silver lining Gwen had been able to come up with as that her teacher wasn't a tough grader.

Gwen had a hard time focusing on today's reading. Her attention switching between her phone, the clock on the wall, and the poorly copied five-page handout. She couldn't explain her nerves. All she was going to do was meet Damon, hand over the journal, and go home. Nothing exciting. And yet she was unable to get through the assignment or sit still in her chair. When the bell finally rang, she practically ran out of the classroom. She had five minutes to get to her locker and meet Damon.

As she made her way toward the gym, a pang of guilt tugged at her. Scott would probably be waiting for her at her locker. He usually met her there after class if he didn't have soccer practice. It wasn't as if it was something they'd both agreed to, she told herself, attempting to quell the quilt. He'd started doing it on his own. She considered sending him a message, but thought better of it. Gwen didn't want anyone finding out she interacted with Damon when she wasn't at work. If it got back to Ric, Gwen was pretty sure Ric's head would explode — and she would be grounded until she was thirty.

The gym was still fairly empty when she walked in. Only the coach and assistants were there, preparing for basketball practice. They didn't pay any attention to her as she cut through to the exterior doors, one of which was propped open to air out the room. For whatever reason, the gym wasn't well ventilated — a major oversight in Gwen's opinion. The propped door might have been a safety risk back in Boston, but it was the best way to keep everyone from gagging on teenager BO in Mystic Falls. Today, it was the perfect escape route.

Damon's light blue Camaro was idling in the lot. From the back stairs, she could see him in the driver's seat, impatiently drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. Zipping up her coat, Gwen descended the stairs and crossed the lot to his car.

"About time," he snapped as she slid into the passenger seat.

"I would think that being immortal would make you more patient," she quipped, digging through her bag for the journal. "It's just now three."

He didn't respond, grabbing the journal from her and instantly flipping through its pages. She mumbled a disgruntled 'you're welcome' under her breath and slumped back into the seat, waiting for him to be done. She didn't know if it was part of his enhanced speed or if he just knew what he was looking for, but he settled on a page quickly.

"Of course," Damon muttered grimly, closing the book and tossing it back to Gwen. "Hope you don't mind getting a little dirty."

He'd put the car into drive and pulled out of the parking lot before Gwen could process what he'd said. She shoved the journal back into her bag, looking around wildly and trying to find an escape.

"Wait! Where are you taking me?" she demanded, panic growing.

"On a field trip to the family crypt," he said dryly, not taking his eyes off of the road. "It's time I visited my father."

* * *

The sun had nearly set by the time Damon finally pulled off the dirt road they'd been traveling on for the last twenty minutes. After her initial protests of being dragged along on this adventure hadn't persuaded him to drop her off at home, they'd passed the majority of the drive in silence. When she'd agreed to help Damon free Katherine, Gwen hadn't realized that meant helping him dig up a grave, his long-deceased father's no less. She supposed that oversight was on her; Damon was a vampire after all.

She followed his lead and got out of the car, eyes trained on the thick forest bordering the road. Groaning, she glanced down at her footwear. Her boots were more of the fashion kind than the hiking kind. Between the growing darkness and a lack of a path, she'd be lucky to end this day without a broken ankle. Shutting the door, Gwen turned toward to the back of the car where Damon was opening the trunk.

"Don't tell me you actually drive around with shovels in the trunk of your car," she said, hoping her bravado masked the unease she felt at the thought.

"Always be prepared," he said, before slamming the trunk closed. "But we won't need them."

Gwen folded her arms, stopping a couple of feet away and raising an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"That's Elena's car," he explained, pointing to the dark SUV that was parked several yards away. Gwen wondered how she'd missed it. "They're already here."

There was something wrong with his voice. He sounded as if he was trying to swallow something. Gwen glanced at him. He wore an expression of pain mixed anger. Even though he knew Stefan and Elena had planned to betray him, it still hurt him. It was as if whatever hope he'd been holding onto was destroyed. In spite of her own fear and guilt, Gwen felt bad for him and was surprised their decision seemed to bother him so much.

"We should go," she said gently, breaking through his thoughts. "It's getting dark, and I don't have your night vision. Or even a flashlight."

Silently, Damon led them into the forest, which blocked out a surprising amount of the remaining light considering most of the trees had lost their leaves. Gwen stumbled over roots and twigs as she struggled to keep up with Damon. If she fell too far behind, she worried she would be lost out here forever. It's not as if they were following an actual path. She briefly thought of asking how he knew where he was going, but nearly fell headfirst over a log when she took her eyes off of the ground.

What light there'd been at the beginning of their walk had long since faded, making it even harder for Gwen to keep up with Damon. She wanted to say something, but was afraid of his anger being directed at her. Eventually, he did slow his pace, though Gwen wasn't sure if that was for her benefit or if it was because they were close. She hoped they were. Blisters were forming along the sides of her feet, and Gwen still had no idea what she was going to tell Ric about where she'd been. They later they were out, the more suspicious he'd be.

"Stop," Damon said, holding out an arm to ensure she actually did.

She did, straining to hear or see whatever it was he did. After a moment, she could make out the sound of low voices and spotted a few a bit of light peaking through the overgrowth. It was Stefan and Elena — no one else would be out here. They weren't far away, maybe the length of classroom separated them from her and Damon. Gwen was surprised Stefan hadn't heard their approach. He must have been too distracted with digging up his father's grave, she mused.

"Now what?" Gwen whispered.

"Stay out of sight until I call you," he directed, leaving her alone in the dark.

Carefully, she crept toward where the other three were. With every step, the nagging in the back of her mind telling her to turn and around intensified. She ignored it. There was no way she could find her way back to the car with out Damon. For better or worse, Gwen was a part of the Salvatore feud now. She slid behind a tree, heeding Damon's warning to not be seen. As she did, she couldn't help but wonder why he even brought her here in the first place.

Peering around the tree,Gwen took in the scene before her. The first thing she noticed was Stefan's terrified face as he pleaded with Damon, whose back was to her. A knot formed in her stomach as Gwen realized Damon was holding Elena hostage. She knew he felt betrayed by them, but she didn't think he was hurt enough to go as far as killing anyone. Watching Stefan, however, Gwen started to get the feeling she had underestimated Damon.

"Damon, please," Stefan begged, holding out a hand as if trying to calm a wild animal. "Let her go, and I'll give you the book."

Damon scoffed. "You think I'm going to trust you after this? Hand over the book and I'll let her go."

Stefan nodded, jumping down into the grave to retrieve the grimoire.

"Gwen," Damon called, not taking his eyes off of Stefan. "Get the book."

Heart pounding, Gwen stepped out from the shadows. She crossed the space quickly, wanting this to be over. As she knelt down to take the spellbook from Stefan, she couldn't quite quell the guilt that rose as she met his gaze.

"You're not compelled," he observed, surprise temporarily displacing his concern fore Elena's well-being. Elena gasped behind her, a disbelieving 'what' escaping her. Ignoring them both, Gwen took the book from Stefan and retreated behind Damon, careful to avoid eye contact with anyone.

Damon hesitated before letting Elena go. As she and Stefan ran toward each other, Damon turned around, grabbed Gwen's upper arm, and practically dragged her back to the car.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter ****9**

The walk back to the car was much faster than their trip into the woods. Damon practically dragged her out, as if he was afraid Stefan would come after the grimoire. Gwen's shins hit several logs as she tried to keep pace with him. She groaned, realizing they'd be very bruised tomorrow.

When they finally reached the car, she was out of breath and sweaty despite the cool night air. Her legs burned in protest as she almost stumbled to the passenger's side of the car. If she hadn't been so distracted, Gwen might have been concerned about how quiet Damon had been since leaving Stefan and Elena in the woods. However, she was too preoccupied by how nice it was to sit and catch her breath to notice. Gwen was so happy to be driving away from the woods and the open grave that she ignored the squealing of tires as they sped away.

"Open the book," Damon instructed after about five minutes driving, "and see if you can find anything about the tomb."

His voice was strained from trying to bury his hurt and anger. But Gwen could still hear an edge and knew one wrong word would push him to his breaking point. Too tired to even want to talk about what happened, she opened the spell book without a word.

Gwen took out her cell phone so that she could actually see the pages. She got the feeling that this book was very old; older than Damon even. Given how the handwriting changed as she progressed through it, she figured it must have been passed down from one generation to the next. Some of it was even written in a language she didn't recognize.

"Find it yet?" Damon snapped.

"No," she said slowly, momentarily forgetting his temper. "There's a lot here and I'm not sure what I'm looking for…. It might not even be in English."

Damon mumbled something about looking faster, but Gwen didn't hear him. She was too engrossed in the grimoire. In fact, she wished she had more time to study it. More of what she was finding was in English and the writings seemed to be a mix of spells, ways to cure different ailments, reflections, stories, possibly even the histories of the writers. It would have been fascinating to read through if she hadn't had an impatient vampire breathing down her neck.

"I think this might be it," she said, focusing her flashlight on one of the last entries in the book. The word "tomb" had caught her eye but, as she read, she realized it was the spell to close the tomb. Still hopeful, Gwen shifted the light to the next entry.

"This is it," she confirmed a moment later. "Bottom of the page, five pages from the back."

"What's it say?"

"There's some stuff here about how to prepare for it, but the actual spell isn't in English."

"Of course," Damon muttered.

A silence fell between them: Damon lost in his thoughts and Gwen focused on the spell in question. Her finger traced the inked script across the rough parchment. Without realizing it, she began silently mouthing the words of the first line, as if figuring out the pronunciation of the words would help her understand them.

Damon was too distracted by his plans to notice that she had gone from quietly perusing the book to mumbling nonsense under her breath. If he had, he probably would have stopped her. After all, he understood the dangers of messing with a witch's grimoire. But, as usual, he was too absorbed in freeing Katherine to pay attention to anything else.

As Gwen finished her slightly mangled reading of the line, several things happened at once. There was something like a spark between her fingers and the words on the page. At the same time, her wristband tightened and she was stuck with a blinding headache. The pain in her head seemed to last forever. Through the pain, she could hear Damon shouting at her but couldn't tell what he was saying. It was as if he was several yards away.

Then, just as she felt she was going to pass out, the pain stopped.

As she calmed down, Gwen realized she was holding her head in hands and her eyes were wet. Drying them, she sat up in the chair and took deep breaths. The pain hadn't been all that she'd experienced. She'd seen things. Flashes of women from a different times practicing magic or being killed for it. The worst had been a witch writhing on the ground in pain as she was consumed by some kind of black force as others watched on and chanted.

She felt her heart begin to race again as she remembered that scene and forced herself to stop thinking about it. It probably wasn't even real, she told herself. However, she knew that if witches and vampires were real, then so was whatever she had just experienced.

"What was that?" Damon asked. She could tell he was looking at her and was thankful she couldn't see his expression.

"I don't know," she said, closing the book in what she hoped was a subtle manner. "It was almost like a brain freeze."

"That was a pretty intense brain freeze," he commented and Gwen could hear the skepticism. "Especially since you weren't consuming anything that was cold."

"Just take me home. I'm supposed to be home at eight."

Damon let it drop for now, leaving Gwen to wonder about what she had seen and what it meant. They didn't speak again until Damon pulled up to her house.

"Leave the grimoire," he instructed said as she was gathering her things.

Gwen was all too happy to leave it behind. She checked her bag to make sure she had the Gilbert journal. She would have to figure out how to return it to Ric without being caught. Plus, she wanted Jeremy to get it back. It seemed like it was important to him.

She opened the door and was about to get out when he stopped her.

"Don't forget, part of our deal is that we find out what you are and you don't lie to me," he said, watching her for a reaction to his unspoken threat.

"I know what the deal is, Damon," she said. Her tone unusually cold. "When there's something to tell, I'll tell it."

Gwen slammed the door before he could say anything else and walked quickly to her door. She listened as he backed up out of the driveway, relaxing as the car drove away. She was going to have to break her promise with Damon, just a little. Something, a gut feeling maybe, was telling her to not share what she'd experienced with him. She would have to come up with a convincing lie before she saw him again.

She'd been hoping to get to her room without running into Ric. But this wasn't her night.

"Mind telling me why Damon Salvatore is dropping you off?"

He'd been in his office, which faced the front of the house, and had been able to see everything through his window. She stalled for time by pretending to fix something on her bag, mentally chiding herself for not having Damon drop her at the street corner.

"A bunch of us were at the Grill," she said, hoping he hadn't been there earlier. "I wasn't feeling well and Damon offered to drive me home when I said I would walk."

Ric's face was unreadable, which put Gwen on edge. She tried to keep a nonchalant manner as she kicked off her shoes and hung up her coat, deciding to act as if his reaction wasn't freaking her out. When his silence continued, she decided he must believe her but was still upset about it being Damon who had brought her home. As her panic passed, her stomach growled, prompting her to go to the kitchen.

It was late and she didn't feel like putting in a lot of effort, so Gwen decided to make a sandwich. She groaned when she heard the scratch of Ric's desk chair and his steps as he came to lean against the doorframe. The look of disappointment told her he hadn't believe her story.

"Are you going to tell me what's really going on?" he asked, his voice too calm.

Gwen couldn't tell if he knew what she was really doing with Damon or if he just thought he did. Either way, her best option was to play dumb.

"What do you mean?" she asked, continuing to assemble her sandwich.

He sighed; disappointment growing. Then he changed tactics. "I seem to have misplaced a journal. It belongs to Jeremy. It's old; made of leather. You haven't seen it, have you?"

If Ric thought he was a good actor, he was wrong. His careful facade of casualness didn't completely cover the accusation in his voice.

"Nope. Where'd you see it last?"

"Cut it out, Gwen," he snapped, losing his temper. Gwen's hands faltered a moment; startled by the sudden change. But she finished her making her dinner and turned to face him. "I know you're lying."

"Well that makes two of us, doesn't it?" she challenged.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, a bewildered look on his face. She may not have covered her tracks well with Damon, but he'd never figured out she'd gone snooping through his research.

"Were you ever going to tell me the real reason we moved here?" She folded her arms and leaned against the counter as she watched his eyes widen in surprise before he regained his composure.

"They offered me a job — that I needed."

"So that's a no," Gwen sighed.

She knelt down and dug the journal out of her bag. She tossed it to him and he caught it out of reflex. His bewildered look growing as he realized what she'd thrown at him. Gwen could see his mind racing to figure out what she knew. She could end this now. Stop lying and have an honest conversation about Isobel, Damon, and vampires. But she was too annoyed at being called a lair by him, who'd been lying to her for far longer than she'd been to him, to be mature. Instead, she picked up her bag, grabbed her food, and walked passed him.

"When you're ready to tell me what's going on with you, I'll tell you what's going on with me," she called down as she ascended the stairs.

Unsurprisingly, Ric didn't follow her.

* * *

Even though they were both up for a few more hours, Gwen and Ric did not speak to each other again that evening. A few times, she heard him pause at her door. Each time he'd sigh and walk away again. Gwen was relieved. She wasn't ready to have a mature conversation either. She had no desire to tell him about the deal she made with Damon. As far as she could figure, there was no way to spin that in a positive light. It'd be best for everyone if that stayed secret a little longer. Gwen was so dedicated to avoiding Ric that she left her plate on her desk when she was finished eating rather than risk facing him on a trip to a kitchen. She even waited until an hour after he'd gone to bed to take a shower — which was badly needed after a night of blindly trekking through the woods.

Though she certainly felt cleaner after showering, it hadn't done anything to calm her. Gwen could not stop herself from thinking about what had happened to her in Damon's car. Upon reflection, she thought the memories, or whatever they were, were rather disjointed. From what she could recall, much of what she'd seen had been somewhat related. She was sure it must have been flashes from Bonnie's ancestors, as if their grimoire had captured brief echoes of their lives. The scene that disturbed her the most, the one that was the least gory but still somehow chilling, was the one of girl lying alone in the center of a circle and seemingly being attacked by some kind of black smoke.

Gwen couldn't explain why that one bothered her so much. Every time she remembered or tried to make it clearer in her mind, a chill ran through her. She was almost certain it had nothing to do with Bonnie's family, though. Something about it felt different than the other echoes.

Gwen sighed as she slid under the covers, thinking she must be losing her mind. The book was probably just cursed to mess with anyone who tried to use it and wasn't a Bennett. The thought, however, didn't comfort her as she tossed and turned, unable to quiet her mind.

Around two in the morning, she gave up on sleeping and grabbed her iPod from her bed. Gwen hoped the music would drown out her thoughts so she could finally get some sleep. She was absently tracing the symbols on her wristband when she froze.

The band had squeezed her wrist when she was seeing those echoes. Actually, she'd felt the pressure the exact moment when she saw the one of the girl. It'd been subtle compared to the pain in her head, but she had felt it. At least, Gwen was pretty sure she had. She huffed in frustration as she tossed onto her side to face the window. Questions she couldn't answered swirled around in a dizzying jumble in her mind. The only person she could ask about this was Damon, but she doubted he had the answers.

As she finally drifted to sleep around sunrise, Gwen realized she did know of someone who could help her. She just couldn't be sure they would.

* * *

Gwen woke up after ten later that morning and was surprised Ric had let her sleep for so long. Especially, after their fight from last night. Then she remembered that Ric had brunch plans with Jenna. He hadn't let her sleep out of kindness. He simply didn't have the time to wake her up and have a discussion before he had to go. Gwen took a moment to be grateful for Jenna's existence and then forced herself out of bed. If she was going to try to get answers, she needed to leave before Ric returned home.

With the only light source being what peaked in through the curtains, she stumbled over to her dresser where she dug through her drawer for an appropriate running outfit. Gwen finally found her winter running gear tucked into the bottom drawer. She didn't particularly enjoy running, but it would be the fastest way for her to get across town. After dressing, she brushed her teeth and put her hair up in a ponytail. It didn't make sense for her to worry too much about her presentation. She did hope she'd be forgiven for her sweaty appearance.

Stepping back into her room, Gwen paused. She didn't have a small bag to carry her phone, house key, and iPod. Her pants had a small pocket that would keep the key secure, but Gwen really didn't want to worry about her phone flying out of the shallow pocket on her running jacket. At least she could hold the iPod. After another moment of internal debate, Gwen picked up her iPod and key. It wasn't the end of the world to be without her phone for an hour or two.

The cold air went through her clothes as if they weren't even there when she stepped onto the front porch. Gwen fought the urge to go back inside and curl up under a blanket while she locked the door, reminding herself that it wouldn't feel so bad once she started running. Plus, if she was lucky, she would only be running for forty-five minutes. Gwen could survive the cold for forty-minutes, especially if it got her answers.

She took off, hoping it wasn't too early and Bonnie's grandmother wouldn't be put off by her random appearance.

Gwen had only met Shelia Bennett once when she'd gone with Caroline to pick up Bonnie for a night out. The conversation had, of course, been casual. Gwen doubted the woman would remember her. But she remembered Caroline saying she taught about the occult at a nearby college and often referred to herself as a witch. Gwen hoped Shelia would be able to help. During her tossing and turning, she'd remembered the weird incident with Bonnie at Halloween. She was starting to get the feeling that, despite Caroline's jokes, Shelia may not be exaggerating her family's ties to the supernatural.

It took her almost an hour, but Gwen finally reached Bonnie's grandmother's house. It was one in a long line of single-story homes. But, thankfully, they were older homes so they were each different enough that you could tell them apart, unlike the newer cookie-cutter style home she lived in with Ric. Shelia's house was painted a blue-gray color and trimmed in white. The front yard, which wasn't big, was full of flower beds and pots. Gwen was sure it was beautiful in the spring and summer. Right now, it was pretty barren except for a few year-round plans.

Gwen had slowed to a walk when she'd rounded the corner onto the street. Still trying to get her breathing under control and muscles burning, she walked up the porch steps and rang the doorbell. Nervous, she paced back and forth. Gwen hadn't thought about what she would say if Shelia actually agreed to speak to her — and didn't think she was insane. The squeak of metal alerted her to the door opening. She stopped pacing, turned around, and was surprised to find herself face-to-face with Bonnie.

Upon seeing Gwen, Bonnie's expression changed from one of relaxation to one of dislike. Great, Gwen thought, Elena had filled her in on the events from last night.

"What are you doing here?" Bonnie demanded.

"I need to talk to your grandmother," Gwen explained. Still a little winded, her voice was breathier than she would have liked.

"And why should she help you?" Bonnie folded her arms as she glared at Gwen, who fought the urge to roll her eyes at this act of righteousness. She'd dealt with worse.

"Because I saw something when I touched Emily Bennett's grimoire. I figured if anyone can make sense of it, she can."

Gwen's bluntness had the desired effect as she watched Bonnie's mouth opened in surprise. It was as if she had short-circuited, unable to find a retort that could cover her curiosity about what had Gwen might have seen. Gwen bit her lip to stop herself from smirking in satisfaction.

"Let her in Bonnie," a voice said from somewhere behind Bonnie. A moment later, Shelia appeared in the doorway, looking grim. "There's a lot we need to talk about."

* * *

**AN: Hope you liked and that everyone is doing all right!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter ****10**

"I've been wondering when you'd make an appearance around here."

Shelia had led her and Bonnie to a small, bright kitchen, where she'd told them to take a seat while she finished breakfast. Despite her relaxed manner, Gwen got the feeling it was more of a command than an offer. She and Bonnie shared a look of confusion before obediently taking a seat. Still hot, she opted for water instead of tea when Shelia asked what she wanted to drink. She watched as Shelia poured icing over three cinnamon rolls, unsure of if it was safe to speak or not. Apparently Bonnie felt the same as they both remained silent until Shelia joined them at the table.

"Eat up," Shelia instructed. "I'm sure you're hungry after your run."

Gwen smiled weakly and picked up her fork, but she didn't eat. Instead she asked, "Why were you wondering if I'd come here?"

"A couple of months ago, there was a change. I felt a new presence in town, a new power. A few days later, Bonnie showed up, panicking over a vision." Shelia paused to take a bite of her pastry, humming happily as she chewed. "Anyway, I soon figured out that you are a witch. I've just been waiting to see if you're a friend or foe. You've been particularly difficult to figure out. Your choice of allies certainly hasn't made it easy."

"Wow," Gwen said, turning her attention to her own cinnamon roll under Shelia's intense gaze. Maybe coming here wasn't such a good idea. Maybe Caroline was right and Bonnie's grandmother was crazy. "That's a lot to, uh, process. I'm not sure what's more concerning: that you think I'm a witch or that someone's keeping tabs on me."

"It's only fair," Bonnie muttered, pushing small squares of pastry around her plate. "Given — "

"That's enough, Bonnie," Shelia warned. "You needed some convincing or your own heritage, remember?"

Bonnie returned to her own breakfast, though her displeasure was clear.

"Wait, are you serious? You think I'm a witch?"

Gwen had had to accept a lot of new truths since coming to Mystic Falls: vampires and witches are real, her aunt had likely been killed by a vampire that she was sort of friends with, and her uncle was making a play at being the next Buffy. And even though she had accepted all of this — to the point that she'd come to an alleged witch for help — didn't mean she was willing to accept a claim that she also a witch. At least, not without proof.

"I _know_ you're a witch," Shelia corrected. "As I said, Bonnie's vision revealed your connection to magic. I strongly suspected that you must be a witch, but I needed proof. Bonnie was reluctant to approach you after what she saw, so I started with what I had: your name. Thanks to records requests, personnel connections, and my own research, I was able narrow down your familial coven. When you and Caroline stopped by to pick up Bonnie a few weeks ago, I was able to confirm it. You are a witch."

Shelia smiled smugly. Gwen couldn't tell if she was enjoying the cinnamon roll or her stunned silence more. All she'd wanted from this visit were answers about the visions. She hadn't expected any bombshells about herself.

"Wait a second," she said, reason overriding her panic. "You keep saying I'm a witch but you haven't given me any proof. My mother wasn't and neither is my uncle. So how could I possibly be a witch? And what happened when we picked up Bonnie?"

"Bonnie, go to my desk and get the purple file folder," Shelia commanded. Bonnie grumbled something but still stood up and left to retrieve the folder. Shelia turned her attention back to Gwen, continuing her explanation, though sounding slightly more impatient. "The band you wear has the symbol of your coven. It's been incorporated into a binding spell, which is why you can't use your magic. Magic binding isn't something your coven is known for; I'm surprised that even exists."

Gwen's eyes dropped to her wrist, where she'd been nervously tracing the markings on it. Bonnie reentered the room and walked over to Shelia, ready to hand the folder to her. But Shelia waved it off and pointed at Gwen. She took it, setting it down next to her half-eaten breakfast. The folder was at least an inch thick, which only served to peak Gwen's curiosity — and her fear. No one went through this much effort for a joke. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she started to accept that Shelia wasn't crazy.

"I …," she started, struggling with what to say. "The coven. What is it? How am I connected to it?"

Bonnie leaned forward, her dislike of Gwen momentarily forgotten. Her grandmother must not have kept her in the loop on her research.

"A coven can be an informal or formal group of witches who practice magic together. Sometimes they live together or in the same town. They became a means of survival during times of peak persecution," Shelia lectured as if she was in front of her class instead of in her kitchen with two high school juniors.

"Your coven is known as the Ember Coven, the name evolving from their penchant for burning down villages and small towns when they felt threatened or hunted. Though they haven't done that in a few generations, they continue to lean toward dark magic. Most other witches avoid them. You have the honor of being connected to them through your father, Eric Ashwood. The Ashwoods, by the way, have been the leaders of the coven for the last four generations."

Though all of this had been delivered in a detached, matter-of-fact tone, Gwen was still left in shock. Her mind reeling with new information. While the darkness of this coven certainly concerned her, Gwen was more focused on the revelation of her father. She'd never known his first name. Her mother had never told her. Her mother had been the one to give her the wristband, but he, Eric, must have given it to her first. Gwen clenched her jaw, realizing how much her mom hadn't told her. Remembering her fight with Ric, she decided that lying and double lives must be a Saltzman family trait. Angrily, she opened the folder and pretend to read the first page. She needed a few seconds to calm herself, suddenly worried about what Shelia and Bonnie would think of her temper.

"So what does the wristband have to do with all of this?" Gwen asked tersely. "I didn't get until a year or so ago."

Shelia didn't answer right away. Instead she drank her tea and seemed to mull something over. Finally, she said, "I'm not sure you're ready for that."

"Why not?" she snapped. "I just learned I'm a witch and that my father is the leader of some evil, fire-starting coven. What could be worse?"

Bonnie shifted uncomfortably across the table while Shelia glared at Gwen.

"Watch your tone," she warned.

"Sorry."

Seemingly placated, Shelia shoulder's relaxed and her gaze softened.

"Most witches's power doesn't start to manifest until they're sixteen. There are exceptions, but it's rare and usually easy to control by adding a few special herbs to the child's diet. I suspect your mother must have known the truth and wanted to make sure you had it. She probably thought it would keep you safe; though how she expected you to wear it without explaining its significance seems like an oversight to me."

"She had cancer, Grams," Bonnie interjected, her voice holding a hint of admonishment. They may not have been besties, but Bonnie knew how sensitive she was about her mother. Gwen gave a weak smile as a sign of thanks.

"It does seem counterintuitive that binding my powers would protect me, but maybe it does? Damon can't compel me. Could this," she said, indicating the leather band, "be why?"

"It's possible, but it also keeps your father from finding you. If you took it off and started using your magic, he could track you. You'll be of interest to him now that you have your powers."

"Why?" Bonnie and Gwen asked at the same time, causing Shelia to smirk in amusement.

Shelia paused once again, though this hesitation felt different than before. Finally she said, "I don't have all the answers here; just rumors and speculation."

Gwen nodded, wanting to hear it anyway.

Clearing her throat, Shelia offered up her theory. "Your coven, the Ember Coven, has always been attracted to power. It's believed that when its founding families fled the trials in Salem, they vowed to never live in fear or be victimized by mortals again. Obviously, they needed to be stronger than any possible enemy and set out to accomplish that — by any means. About a hundred years ago, it's rumored they found an old, powerful source of dark magic. No one knows what it is or how they access it. Some say it's something the whole coven has access to. Others, like myself, believe it was consumed by only one member who became the leader."

"Why's that?" Bonnie asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper. Gwen, whose own voice felt trapped in her throat, was grateful for the question.

"In that file you'll find a record of your family's genealogy and partial list of known members of the Ember Coven, including the leaders," Shelia said, indicating the file folder with a tilt of her head. "You'll notice that the first born Ashwood child has led the coven for the last one hundred years. That's not normal for a coven. A single family doesn't usually dominate and being the first born isn't important. I suspect that Elizabeth Ashwood took in the dark magic and it somehow passes from parent to child."

A silence fell among them, the girls processing what Shelia's theory meant.

"Are you … are you saying I'm some big evil witch and the only reason I'm not burning people alive is this wristband?" Gwen asked, her voice strained.

Shelia laughed, which only made Gwen glare. She'd had a tone of total seriousness throughout the her whole explanation about Gwen's father and his coven. Shelia couldn't expect to not be fearful of that meant for her.

"No, the wristband's not that powerful. If my theory's correct, you may be pulled more toward using dark magic. But you don't have to be. You can choose to control it. Part of that is surrounding yourself with the right people," she added pointedly.

"You mean Damon?" Gwen asked, not surprised by Shelia's skepticism of him. She'd seen how Bonnie acted around him. He was probably public enemy number one in this house. Sighing, Gwen said, "That's complicated. I appreciate all you've told me today, but I can't really get into why I'm working with him. The short version is I'm trying to keep my uncle alive."

"You think Damon will keep his word?" Shelia asked, raising an eyebrow in skepticism. Bonnie scoffed, indicating her own disbelief.

Gwen shrugged. "He has so far. That's actually related to why I came here. Um, he has your ancestor's book."

"We know," Bonnie said, hostile once again.

"Right, well, when I was looking at it last night, I think I had a vision. I was hoping you could help me figure it out," Gwen said, keeping eye contact with Shelia.

Bonnie looked like she was about to jump in with another comment or tirade, but her grandmother cut her off. "What was it?"

"Well, it was more of a series of visions," she explained. "Most of them, I think, were echoes of your family, but one was different. There was a girl in the middle of a circle of people, and she was surrounded by something that looked like black smoke. The people seemed to be chanting something. I could feel her fear. I —"

Gwen stopped talking when she noticed the twin looks of surprise on her hosts faces, eyes wide and mouths slight agape.

"What is it?" Gwen asked, a tight knot forming in her stomach.

After a shared look and recovering their composure, Shelia answered. "That was the start of Bonnie's vision on Halloween."

"And? What happened?" Gwen's heart was racing. Their silence only increased her feeling of foreboding, but she had to know.

With a steady voice, Bonnie said, "It changed to you standing in the middle of flames, completely unharmed and smiling."

* * *

An hour later, Gwen sat in the passenger's seat of Bonnie's car, the purple file folder and a few books in her lap. Both girls were quiet, thinking about everything Shelia had shared with them that morning. Overwhelmed didn't even begin to cover how Gwen felt. At least Bonnie wasn't going to curse her to oblivion anymore. Learning that Gwen was trying to keep her uncle safe from Damon had quelled her anger. Protecting people from Damon was something she could support.

"How much of this are you going to share with Elena?" Gwen asked, breaking the awkward, almost oppressive, silence. She was still processing everything; she wasn't ready for anyone else, besides Bonnie and her grandmother, to know.

"None of it. Promise," she added, noticing Gwen's doubtful look. "Elena has enough to deal with between Stefan, Damon, and Jeremy. Besides, I just went through all this. I took my time telling people."

"Thanks," Gwen said, relieved. "Again, sorry about your family grimoire."

Bonnie shrugged before making a left onto Gwen's street. "We'll get it back. Grams said a Bennett witch had to perform the spell. I'm sure she'll negotiate something."

Bonnie pulled into her driveway and Gwen was grateful to see her uncle's car was still missing.

He and Jenna must have been having a good date. Making sure she had a good grip on the books, Gwen opened the car door and got out.

"Read through those and start practicing like Grams said," Bonnie reminded her. "It'll feel weird at first, but I promise it'll help."

She nodded and closed the car door, waving good-bye as Bonnie reversed the car and drove away.

Gwen wasted no time getting inside to escape the freezing afternoon. Upon entering the silent home, however, she found herself at a loss for what to do. Part of her wanted to go upstairs, sleep, and deal with all of this later. But she knew she was too alert to actually fall asleep. Sighing, she resigned herself to going through the file and books Shelia had given her.

She toed off her shoes before making her way to the kitchen. Though Shelia had been a good host, Gwen hadn't eaten much of the cinnamon roll. She'd been distracted by the witch and evil dad announcements. With a loud thump, she set the books on the kitchen table. Her thoughts already turning to what could be in the pantry. Her face fell when she opened the door to find all of the quick meals gone. The hadn't had take out in a few days, so the fridge was a no-go, as well. A light blue package got her eyes as she was about to close the pantry door. Deciding it would do, she grabbed a white package from the box.

As the milk warmed in the microwave, Gwen poured the hot chocolate mix into a mug. It wasn't food, but it would it would make her feel full for now. Maybe she would get something delivered in a bit. The microwave beeped and Gwen opened immediately. She hated that high-pitched alert. She finished stirring the milk and powder together as she walked back to the table. Sitting down, Gwen brought the mug to her lips but it too hot to sip. Instead she set it down on the table and pulled the purple folder toward her.

She wanted to read it. She really did. Gwen had always wanted to know about her father, though she had tried to not let her mom know that. Now she had a whole dossier on him and his family and she was afraid to read it. She was being stupid. She knew it. Besides satisfying a life-long curiosity, learning about her father and his side of the family could be vital to her survival. So what if they were dark witches? At least she was somewhat prepared for what she would read.

"Just do it," she muttered to herself, flipping the file open to the first page. Good or bad, it was better to get it over with now.

Gwen was still at the table an hour and a half later when Ric returned home. Pages from the file folder were spread out in front of her, some in somewhat organized piles and others simply scattered. Two of the three books were open, one on top of the other, from when she had had to look up something. Her hot chocolate, which had long gone cold, sat half-drunk and precariously close to the edge of the table. Ric had been ready to reprimand her for last night's behavior but his resolve vanished when he saw his messy and slightly crazed-looking niece pouring over a myriad of documents.

"Gwen," he said gently, afraid to startle her. She lifted her head, blinking to refocus her gaze. "What is all this?"

She could only stare at him at first, struggling to pull her thoughts together. She'd only read about half of the file, occasionally breaking to look up something in one of the books. There was so much information on her father — more than she ever thought she would get about him — and his coven. Though she wasn't finished going through it all, Gwen was sure she wanted nothing to with her father or anyone from the Ember Coven.

"Um, I think we need to talk," she said, surprising herself a little. But as she gathered the papers into one pile, Gwen knew she didn't want to keep a bunch of secrets anymore. She needed to come clean, at least about this.

"What do you know about my dad?" She asked, trying to ease Ric into this conversation.

Sitting across from her now, he balked at the question. Clearly, he hadn't expected the question.

"Uh, not much," he said with a shrug. "Your mom met him when she was living in Arizona for an internship. She was happy with him for a while. After two years, she showed up at my apartment with you."

"And she never said anything about why she left him?"

"No," Ric said slowly, thinking back on that day. "I could tell she was scared, but I guess she never gave a specific reason. I always figured he was abusive. To be honest, I'm not sure she married him since I don't remember her ever filing for a divorce."

"But that's it?" Gwen pressed, hoping for something that would help him believe what she was about to tell him.

"That's all I remember. Gwen, what is this about? Why the sudden interest in him?"

"My father, his name is Eric Ashwood," she started, sliding the purple folder over to him, "and he is the leader of the Ember Coven, which a group of witches that practices dark magic."

Ric stared her for a second before a guffaw of disbelief escaped him. When she failed to laugh with him or say "just kidding", his half-amused smile slid into a confused frown.

"You - you're not joking?" he asked, voice hoarse.

"What? Vampires are real but witches can't be?" she teased.

"How do you know —"

"Not tonight," she interrupted, her tone serious again. "Just accept that I do."

They sat in silence until Ric gave a nod accompanied with a disgruntled "fine".

"Yes, I'm serious," she said earnestly. "I just found out this morning actually. Bonnie's grandmother is one — she's the one who did all that research — and she's pretty sure I am one because of who my dad is. And after today, I think she's right."

"But how? You've never done anything magical," Ric observed, his brow furrowed as he scanned through the file. Gwen pulled back the sleeve of her jacket, revealing the wristband.

"Because of this. Shelia said it has a binding spell on it — that's what some of the symbols are for. Mom gave it to me when I was fifteen, which is when your magic starts to manifest, I guess. But I don't think it's working so well anymore."

"Why?" Ric questioned, his need for information overriding his concern.

Gwen hesitated. "Well, a few months ago the bottom drawer of your desk, the one that's always locked, was suddenly unlocked without the key or without me picking it. And when I was closed it, it locked again."

"I knew those papers were out of order," he muttered. "I can't believe you went through my desk. You can't just —"

"Another day," she reminded him. With an exasperated sigh, he motioned for her to continue. However, she decided to give up just a little bit of information. "I saw something, ok? I saw something, thought I was crazy and remembered Isobel's research. I was looking for that and I didn't want to upset you so I didn't ask. I found your hunting kit on accident."

"You could've come to me," he said gently.

"Because you were so honest about why we moved here?" she challenged.

Ric leaned back in chair, looking tired. "Another time. So … do you think your mother knew the truth?"

Gwen dropped her gaze to the table. That was the question she'd been struggling with all afternoon. She didn't want to believe her mom would keep something like this from her. They'd always had a fairly honest relationship. Keeping Gwen in the dark wouldn't keep her safe, especially if Eric did find her and try to take her back to the coven. It just didn't seem like something the woman she knew would have done. But, she guessed she didn't know who her mother was before she was born.

Looking back up at her uncle, Gwen said, "Yes. I think she found out and was scared. From what's in that file, it wouldn't surprise me if he was abusive, too. But I do think she knew."

They fell silent. Ric looked like he was reading the first page of the file, but he was stalling as he tried to think of what to say. Gwen drummed her fingers, feeling like she needed to move or run. Actually, she just wanted her uncle to say something. Finally, he cleared his throat.

"All right," he said, looking more confident than he sounded. "You're a witch and the wristband is failing. So we have two options: you learn to control your magic or we ask Shelia if she can get rid of it forever. What do we do?"

"I, uh," Gwen stammered. She hadn't thought about getting rid of her magic. She didn't even know if that was an option. But after a minute of thinking it over, Gwen knew that wasn't what she wanted. "Shelia and Bonnie said they'd help me learn how to use it. That's what I want to do."

"Ok." Ric didn't look disappointed in her choice, but he would probably need time to accept it. "So that's what we'll do. I should probably meet Shelia and see if I can help or just make sure she's not going to turn into the evil witch of the west or something."

Gwen smiled. "Trust me, she's not. But I guess it wouldn't hurt for you to meet her."

"Good," Ric said, rolling his eyes. "And from now on, we're going to be honest with each other. Got it?"

Gwen's stomach sunk, though she managed to keep smiling. She couldn't be completely honest with him, not when it came to Damon. He'd run out and get himself killed if she told him that Damon was probably responsible for Isobel's death.

"Yeah, ok," she agreed, hoping her voice didn't sound strained. Even though it was only two words, somehow this lie felt worse than all the others. Shaking off her guilt, she asked, "Can we order dinner? I'm starving."

* * *

**AN: I hope the revelation about Gwen was worth the wait! This chapter took a few tries to get right, but I'm pretty happy with how it came together.**

**Question: How would you all feel about a chapter from Damon's perspective? I've been playing around with the idea for a while but I'm not sure if I should switch perspectives for this story, especially since it may only be one time. **

**Hope everyone is having a good summer and staying safe!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter ****11**

Damon angrily pressed the end call button before redialing the number for the hundredth time. His jaw clenched as he listened to the phone ring until her voicemail, which sounded too perky for her, picked up.

"God damn it, Gwen, answer your phone!" he snapped, ending the call once more and slamming his phone on the bar.

He picked up the tumbler of bourbon and downed its contents. His mood soured even further when he noticed Stefan had returned home. They hadn't seen or talked to each since Damon had taken the Bennett Grimoire from him and Elena two days ago. No doubt, the lovebirds had been plotting how to stop him. He really wasn't in the mood to entertain any of their pathetic attempts at the moment. If Stefan was smart, he'd keep quiet.

"Problems?" Stefan asked, walking to the bar to pour his own drink.

Unsurprisingly, Stefan wasn't the bottle of bourbon from his brother and his glass from the counter, Damon crossed the space to sit on one of the leather coach.

"Of course not, my life is nothing by sunshine and roses," Damon replied dryly.

Stefan lightly swirled the liquid in his glass as he leaned against the bar, stuying his brother. "Sounded pretty upset just now. What? Gwen didn't jump when you commanded?"

"You don't need to concern yourself about Gwen," Damon said, taking another shot. Maybe if he drank enough, his brother would be less annoying. It might not have worked in last a hundred or so years, but there was always a chance.

"After Caroline, I feel I do," Stefan said, his false, easygoing stance changing to serious and superior as he stood straight with folded arms and a furrowed brow. "What exactly are you doing with her?"

Sighing, Damon held his hand over eyes as if to ward off an oncoming headache. He set both bottle and glass on the side table and stood up from the couch, facing his brother head on.

"As hard as it might be for you to believe, Gwen likes me," he said smugly, enjoying as Stefan's frown deepened from confusion. "And the situation with Gwen is nothing like the situation with Caroline. She's helping me of her own free will. Thankfully, because even if I wanted to compel her, I couldn't."

"What do you mean?" Stefan asked, his condescending demeanor losing out to his curiosity.

Damon grimaced. He hadn't meant to share that, but his own cockiness had gotten the better of him. Shrugging, he figured he may as well use this to get Stefan off of his back about Gwen.

"She can't be compelled. I tried the first time I met her," Damon explained, picking his phone up from the bar in case she did respond to his many messages. "I saw her walking alone at night. Thought she was pretty and would make a nice snack. She was completely unaffected."

Stefan smirked. "Are you sure it wasn't you?"

Rolling his eyes, Damon said, "I'm sure. I've tried several times. She's immune to compulsion."

Stefan mulled over this information and shrugged. "So? Her not being affected by compulsion doesn't make her an asset to you. At best, her involvement has been convenient but not necessary. What are you really doing with her?"

Stefan stared at his brother with genuine interest, causing Damon to bristle. He was using her, of course. He was a vampire; that's what he did. Leave it to Stefan to try to make more of something than what was there. St. Stefan was always hoping for signs Damon wasn't a monster.

"It's a business arrangement," Damon snapped. "She helps me get Katherine, and I help her figure out why she can't be compelled. That's it. She's nothing but a passing interest."

A cold sensation ran through him when he said those words. He almost felt as if he'd said something wrong. But that didn't make sense. It was the truth. As soon as he had Katherine, he'd be gone. Gwen would've been dinner if he'd been able to compel her. Her immunity made her mildly interesting, but not significant. Before either of them could say anything else, Damon's phone started to ring.

"Sure," Stefan finally said, a hint of an amused smirk on his lips. Nodding to Damon's phone, he continued, "You better get that. It looks like your business partner is calling."

* * *

"Where have you been?" Damon demanded, quickly climbing the stairs to his room so he could talk in private. When he reached them he heard the front door shut, indicating that Stefan had left. Probably off to give Elena an update.

"Sorry," she said. Damon thought she sounded tired. It was practically noon though; she was normally an early riser. "I lost my phone and of course it died, and I was …. Well, I had to deal with something. Listen, um, we need to talk in person. Is there a chance we could meet somewhere today?"

Damon shook his head. This girl and her phone. She probably spent half her time losing it or forgetting to charge it. Even though he was still annoyed with her, he felt his initial anger over not being able to reach her lessen. Plus, she sounded pretty serious. Whatever she wanted to tell him must have been important. Maybe he'd find out why she'd spent yesterday morning at Bonnie's grandmother's house without having to reveal that he was keeping tabs on her.

"Come over to house as soon as you can." He knew she'd have to get the car from her uncle, which could take some convincing.

"All right, see you soon," she said before ending the call.

There was a knock on the front door about a half hour later. Damon rolled his eyes at her ingrained civility. Everyone else just barged in, welcome or not. When he opened the door, he was surprised at the state Gwen was in. She'd been swaying and wringing her hands until she'd come into full view, immediately becoming still and forcing a smile. Damon had thought she'd sounded tired on the phone, but that hadn't prepared him for the dark shadows under eyes and disheveled dress: baggy sweatshirt, yoga pants, and a messy ponytail. Maybe she had just woken up. He stood aside to let her in and led her to the living room.

"So what is it you needed to talk about?" he asked, taking a seat and motioning for her to do the same. She moved to one of the armchairs, but remained standing. He watched as she tapped her fingers on the back of the chair, biting her lip as she thought.

"Right, well, remember the other night in the car? I was looking through the grimoire and I had that weird, sudden headache?"

Damon nodded. She had clutched her head as if she was having a brain freeze. She'd also claimed that it was nothing.

"It wasn't," she continued, looking apologetic. "It was actually a series of visions."

"Why didn't you say something?" he asked, his voice harsher than he meant.

"You were a little … intense after the confrontation with Stefan and Elena. And I really wasn't sure what had happened. But then I kept replaying it in my mind and got really freaked out. So I went to talk to Shelia; turns out she's been looking into me. She found out that my father is the leader of some super evil witch coven, which makes me a witch. And — "

"Wait," Damon cut in. Her rambling was almost too fast for even him to keep up with. "You're a witch? That's it?"

"Yes?" she said, confused. "Why?"

That didn't make sense. Damon had compelled plenty of witches. Being a witch didn't protect someone from being compelled. As far as he knew, only vervain did that. He'd expected her to be something else, something new.

"Being a witch doesn't make you immune to compulsion," he said, sighing from disappointment. "I thought the big would reveal would be more interesting."

Gwen glared at him, all nervousness disappearing. Despite the many things not going right for him, he couldn't stop himself from smiling. He enjoyed it when her temper won out over her trepidation of angering a vampire.

"Sorry this is interesting enough for you, but maybe that has something to do with my father and his family messing with dark magic for the last century. According to Shelia I could be a ticking time bomb of evil."

Damon laughed so hard he was practically doubled over. Shelia Bennett had lost her mind if she thought Gwen would ever do anything destructive or harmful to another person. Besides, she was one witch. One witch couldn't do much damage on her own; even with the aid of dark magic.

"What does she think you're going to do? Turn people who annoy you into toads?" he joked between laughs.

Her glare deepened as she finally sat down, slumping against the chair in a pout. "I'm so glad you find this amusing."

Damon stopped laughing, coughing to cover up a few lingering chuckles. Seeing her slouched in the armchair with folded arms and an annoyed expression only added to the ridiculous prospect of her being some evil witch. She just wasn't like that; wasn't like him.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" he asked, though he was glad he knew why she'd been at Shelia's. He hadn't been able to stop himself from thinking that she must have been plotting against him.

"Part of our deal was being honest with each other," she said with a shrug, her voice soft considering she still looked a little put off.

Given his brother's and Elena's recent betrayal, Damon was more than a little taken aback by her words. He felt as if a weight had been lifted off of him, but didn't understand why. Thankfully, Gwen didn't notice anything had changed.

"Plus," she continued, "I need your help."

"With what? I can't really help you with magic," he said, leaning forward.

"I know that," she scoffed, mimicking his movement so that her elbows rested on her knees. "Shelia's convinced my dad will come for me, especially since my powers are starting to manifest. Considering they're known for burning towns to the ground and people have a tendency to go missing around them, I'm willing to bet this won't be a happy reunion."

Damon's eyes searched her face, looking for some hint of what she was getting at. Prompted by his silence, she continued her spiel, albeit a little more awkwardly.

"Well, I don't really know how to say this, but … I need your help in figuring how to deal with him. By any means necessary," she said, adding the last bit with forced conviction.

"Elaborate," Damon requested.

"You're a morally gray person. Maybe a little evil, really. I'm not sure," Gwen rambled again, her voice trailing off as her thoughts took her on a silent tangent. After a second, she shook her head and refocused, missing Damon's amused smirk. "Anyway, you probably think similarly to him. If I want to keep myself and Ric safe, then I need to think like you and him, and —"

"Be willing to kill."

The words hung in the air between them. Gwen looked uncomfortable again, as she searched for a way to deny it. Finally, she frowned and nodded.

"Yes," she sighed, falling back against the chair. "I sound insane, don't I?"

"No," Damon said; his voice so low that she didn't hear him. He cleared his throat, not sure why he was so affected by her. Firmly, he said, "No, you sound practical."

"So you'll help me?" she asked hopefully.

Damon paused. As soon as he got Katherine to of the tomb, he was leaving Mystic Falls. And he really had no idea how to make someone think like him short of compulsion or trauma. Both of those options were out of the questions. Still, he couldn't stop himself from agreeing.

"I'll do what I can," he said, making sure to leave himself an out. However, he didn't miss how she relaxed with his weak promise; she even smiled.

Standing up, Gwen collected her keys from the side table. "Thank you. I have to go — Ric thinks I just ran over to Caroline's — but thank you."

Her gratitude made him uncomfortable; he almost felt guilty for misleading her. Thankfully, he was saved from having to deal with it by Stefan's return.

"Elena's missing," Stefan said, barely a second after slamming the door open. "Anna has her. Damon —"

Stefan froze mid-sentence, finally realizing Gwen was there too. If Damon wasn't so annoyed with his brother, he would have laughed at the bewildered look on his face. Stefan snapped out of his shock, deciding saving Elena was more important than worrying about Gwen.

"Anna has her. You have to tell me where she is," Stefan pled, practically falling to his knees next to Damon as he launched into a seemingly-genuine apology for what happened at their father's grave two nights ago. Damon was unmoved. He wasn't interested in helping his brother, especially after how he and Elena had lied to him.

"Sorry, Stefan, can't help you," Damon said, his voice chillingly neutral. "Gwen, I think it's time for you to go home."

He stood from the couch and walked over to Gwen, placing a hand on her back to guide her to the door. Unsurprisingly, Stefan didn't give up that easily.

"What? Are you afraid she'll see the monster you really are?" Stefan snapped, panic giving way to anger.

Gwen's eyes darted between the two brothers, her pace picking up. When Stefan appeared in front of them, she stepped back so fast that she bumped into Damon who had to steady her so she didn't fall over.

"Not at all," Damon stated, a slight edge to his voice as a cruel smirk appeared. "I hope Elena dies."

Leaving a stunned Stefan behind him, Damon finished leading Gwen to the door. He was about to close it behind her when she turned around.

"You should help him," she said gently, meeting his eyes.

Damon was too thrown to say anything. Wasn't this the same girl who was asking for help on how to be evil, or "morally gray"? As if reading his mind, she shrugged. Damon closed the door, feeling more conflicted than he had only a few seconds ago.

* * *

As Gwen switched off the car's engine, her phone started to ring loudly, causing her to jump slightly. Cursing, she rummaged through her purse for the damn thing. The ringing seemed like it would never stop; yet she still stressed that she might miss the call. She really needed to change the ringtone. Upon finding it, she briefly glanced at the caller's name.

"Hey Caroline," she said as she answered the phone. "I didn't expect to hear from you today. I thought you were busy with Matt?"

"Uh, that's postponed," Caroline said, her voice a little loud as she tried to talk over the background noise. From what she could hear, Gwen guessed Caroline was at the Grill. "Anyway, this guy Duke is throwing a party in the woods tonight. It's kind of a tradition. You want to go?"

Gwen groaned internally. She really didn't. Standing in the cold woods for hours didn't seem like any fun to her. But Scott had texted her about the same thing earlier that day. It didn't look like she would be able to get out of this.

"Oh, Scott texted me about this," she said, feigning interest. "I was planning to meet him there. Maybe you can give me a ride?"

And maybe Ric would prevent her from going out, she thought hopefully.

"Perfect! It can be a double date. It could have been a girls night, but Elena and Bonnie are totally MIA. Dress cute, and I'll pick you up at seven."

Caroline talked so fast that Gwen didn't get a chance to say anything before her friend ended the call. Caroline's comment about Elena _and_ Bonnie not responding to her calls bothered Gwen. She had no way of knowing what had happened with Elena; Caroline was clearly exaggerating. However, the part about Bonnie made Gwen uneasy. It seemed too much of a coincidence that Caroline couldn't reach Bonnie. Then again, the odds had to be astronomically high that they'd both been kidnapped. Deciding to follow her instincts, Gwen opened her contacts, clicking the call button when she found Shelia's listing.

* * *

_Stefan found us. We're safe; everything's fine._

Gwen reread Bonnie's text for the tenth time while she waited for Caroline to pick her up. Unfortunately, Ric was too distracted to do his normal interrogation about her plans. He'd rushed in about an hour ago, stayed five minutes, and left again. She hadn't had the energy to wonder what he was up to at the time as she'd been too worried about Elena and Bonnie. Now though, her concern could shift to him entirely. Sighing, she read the text for the eleventh time and was still disappointed by the lack of information.

_Glad you're both safe. If you're up for it, Caroline and I are going to some party in the woods tonight. It's near the old church. _

Just as she sent the text, a car horn sounded from the driveway. Gwen set her phone to silent and dropped it in her bag. She hadn't figured out how to change the ringtone, so she'd decided to keep it on silent. Sliding into the passenger's seat of Caroline car, Gwen forced a smile to at least look excited.

"This isn't torture, you know," Caroline quipped, taking in Gwen's expression that didn't at all mask her feelings, as she left the driveway. "I promise it'll be fun."

"Sorry, just a little tired." It wasn't a lie. The last few days had been chaotic. So much had changed for her that it felt weird to be going to a party.

"Well get over it 'cause tonight is all about having fun. And if that's not enough for you, you can finally get some one-on-one time with Scott that's not squeezed in between classes or work or whatever. What's going on between you two anyway?"

Gwen hesitated. Scott had been the furthest thing from her mind, which definitely wasn't a good sign for them. She shrugged and hoped she sounded causal when she tried to answer Caroline.

"I mean, I guess we're dating. We talk. We have actually hung out without you or Matt. We've made out," she said, as if listing these things would convince Caroline — or maybe herself — that they were together. "We haven't really talked about it, though."

Caroline sighed dramatically, clearly unsatisfied with Gwen's assessment. "That's so unromantic. Do you even like him?"

She thought she did. Gwen knew Scott was the kind of guy she _should_ like. But she had wanted to say 'no' to Caroline's question. She wasn't looking forward to seeing him. On reflection, Gwen realized she didn't even prioritize spending time with him. If he didn't make the plans or reach out, they didn't ever go out. Plus, she lied to him all the time: She lied about Damon, vampires, where she was, and now she'd have to lie about who she was. Scott deserved better.

Yet, even after realizing all of this, Gwen knew she wasn't going to do the right thing. She felt bad for how she had treated him, and, maybe it could work if she paid a little more attention to him. She ignored the feeling that told her that was a bad idea.

"I do," Gwen said, surprising herself with how sincere she sounded. "I don't have a lot of luck in the dating area. I don't want to rush anything."

Caroline smiled sympathetically. "I get it, but maybe be less aloof. Scott really likes you, but he can be a little dense. You may need to actually have that conversation."

Gwen nodded, feeling a knot form in her stomach. That was the last thing she wanted to do.

When they arrived at the party fifteen minutes later, Gwen almost flew out of the car. It's not that Caroline had been annoying her so much as she felt suffocated. She could only talk about relationships so much. As the cold air sunk into her clothes, she was glad she'd thrown on her long underwear under her jeans. It had to be in the mid-thirties out. Her winter gear was keeping her warm, but she didn't imagine she would stay long. These Mystic Falls teens were either hard core or insane for throwing a party in the woods on a winter night. Not to mention the burned-down church that held Katherine wasn't too far away. Briefly, she wondered when Damon planned to get her out. But before she could spend much time on that, Matt and Scott appeared in the crowd of inebriated teens. For the second time that night, Gwen forced a smile.

Scott wrapped an arm around her and kissed her cheek, a genuine smile on his lips. Gwen guessed that answered Caroline's question. She dropped her gaze, turning her attention to their friends.

"Now what?" Gwen asked, still wondering what the draw of the party was besides free beer.

"You drink, you freeze, you lose a few digits," Matt joked. "They're setting out the second round of beer now. I figured we'd get some after the rush."

"Always the manager," Gwen teased. Their conversation was awkward. She realized they'd never all been together and outside of school. Caroline's double date idea might end in disaster.

Gwen was proven wrong, however, as Caroline stepped up and took control of the conversation. She mostly stayed silent after that; making the appropriate facial expressions or noncommittal responses when necessary. At one point, Scott and Matt went to get them beer while the girls moved closer to the fire, the cold night air was starting to defeat their layers and winter outerwear. When they returned, the three of them picked up reminiscing about some field trip gone awry during freshman year. Gwen was about to zone out completely, when Caroline interrupted.

"Is that Elena with Damon?"

Feeling just as confused as Caroline sounded, Gwen spun around to see if it was true. Damon and Elena were cutting through the partygoers, clearly on a mission to get somewhere and not very happy about it. When Damon's eyes met Gwen's, he indicated for Elena to walk over to the couples.

"Elena, where's Stefan?" Caroline asked, a hint of unease in her voice. Gwen's back was still turned, so she missed her panicked grab of Matt's hand.

Elena half-smiled, but ignored her question. Instead she turned to Gwen and asked, "Can we talk?"

"Sure," Gwen nodded. Slipping out from Scott's arm, she added, "I'll be right back."

As soon as they were out of earshot of the others, Damon turned on her.

"What are you doing here?" he snapped.

Damon's intensity surprised her. She didn't owe hime constant updates on her life. Besides, this wasn't anything relating to witches or vampires. "Drinking and being bored mostly. Why?"

"We've been trying to get a hold of you ever since you texted Bonnie," Elena answered, quickly. "We're opening the tomb. You guys need to get out of here."

Gwen blinked. "What, are you crazy! How am I supposed to get them to leave? And what about everyone else?"

Elena opened her mouth, but Damon moved so he was standing right in front of Gwen, bending down so he was eye level with her and blocking Elena completely.

"I don't care how you do it, but you and the airheads need to leave. Now," he said, firmly.

"You can't compel me," she reminded him, unnerved by his gaze.

Anger flashed across his face and he clenched his jaw. His next words were spoken with a very measured tone, though Gwen still understood them to be a command and not something up for debate.

"Go. Bonnie and her grandmother won't do the spell if her friends are in danger."

Gwen sighed, glancing back toward Caroline and the boys, who were all watching them with expressions that ranged from curious to disgust. She'd promised to help Damon get Katherine out. Doing this was clearly part of that deal.

"Fine," she said. "But Damon, no one but Katherine gets out. That was our deal."

With a barely noticeable nod, he stood back and began leading Elena away from the party. Gwen was half-tempted to follow. She felt she should be helping Bonnie and her grandmother, but knew she'd be useless. At least she could make sure their friends were safe.

"What was that about?" Caroline asked when she returned to her friends.

"Nothing," Gwen said, affecting a cherry disposition. "You know, I'm kind of bored of this whole party in the words thing. I think we should go somewhere else."

Matt scoffed, raising an eyebrow at her sudden Queen Bee attitude. "And where should we go?"

"Scott's place," she said, matter-of-factly. Turning to Scott, she asked, "Your parents are out of town, aren't they?"

"Uh, yeah," Scott said slowly. He clearly didn't know what to make of Gwen's new attitude either. "I guess we could go."

"Great. Let's go."

* * *

Gwen woke with a start early the next day. The soft morning light illuminated the room just enough for her to remember where she was. Briefly, she tried to figure out what woke her — she could have sworn she heard yelling — before remembering what had happened. She placed her face in her hands and groaned, regret growing. A grunt came from the dark-haired form next to her, but he didn't stir or wake. Cursing herself, Gwen quietly slipped out of the twin bed, gathered the items of clothes she hadn't slept in and her phone, and made her way to hallway bathroom. Thankfully, she was the only one awake. Once she was safely inside the bathroom, she dropped her clothes to the floor and sunk down to join them, trying to sort through her jumbled memories.

After she'd convinced them to leave and go to Scott's, Caroline had suggested a drinking game. Gwen couldn't remember what it had been, but it didn't matter. The beer from the party had disappeared quickly, so they'd borrowed some vodka from Scott's dad to finish the game. The game had either gone on too long or Gwen was really bad at it, if her pounding head and aching stomach were anything to go by. Predictably, the more they drank, the touchier they became with their respective partners. Gwen flushed, embarrassed as she remembered enticing Scott upstairs by taking her shirt off while Matt and Caroline were still in the living room and in sight of the stairs. Her only saving grace was that she'd had a tank top on underneath her sweater.

How could she have slept with him? A few hours earlier, she'd been thinking of breaking up with Scott because she'd realized she didn't really like him. Guilt mingled with regret as she realized how horrible it would be to break up with him now. She'd have to wait a few days, so she didn't destroy his self-esteem. Gwen sighed. A part of her couldn't help but think the sex hadn't even been worth it for all this added drama, which only increased her guilt. God, she was horrible.

Needing a distraction, she glanced at her phone. She was surprised to see two text messages from Elena. They never texted each other directly; only in a group message. Curious, Gwen opened the first text.

_Katherine wasn't in the tomb. Damon's upset._

Gwen frowned. Damon was probably more than upset. He'd been so sure she was there. If she wasn't there, then where was she? She wished Elena had sent more information. Sighing, she opened the second message, which had been sent only two hours earlier.

_The spell was too much for Shelia. She went in her sleep. Bonnie's left to be with family, but I have books for you._

A lump formed in Gwen's throat as her eyes pricked with unshed tears. Rationally, she knew she couldn't have down anything, but Gwen was now convinced she should have been there with them at the tomb last night. Making it worse was the fact that all the bad from last night seemed completely pointless since Katherine, the object of it all, hadn't even been there. In that moment, Gwen felt true hatred for a woman she had never met.

Poor Bonnie, Gwen thought. Shelia was clearly the only adult in her family that gave her the time of day. Bonnie had to be heartbroken; she shouldn't have been worrying about books or Gwen right now. Gwen went back to her message log and scrolled until she found Bonnie's name. But when she'd opened the conversation, she realized she had no idea what to say. Everything she thought about sending felt wrong or awkward. Still, she needed to say something.

_I'm sorry about your grandmother. Let me know if there's anything you need._

She pressed send, knowing it was lame but also knowing that those messages meant more than people thought when they lost someone. Gwen remembered how much they helped when her mom died. Sure, most were empty gestures; but it still felt good to be thought of during that time. Hopefully, Bonnie felt the same, and knew Gwen meant it.

Cold from the tile floor, Gwen decided it was time to get up and get on with the day. Ric hadn't called yet, which meant he didn't realize she wasn't home. She needed to get Caroline to drive her back before that changed. She stood up and began dressing. Gwen had been relieved not to wake up naked. It seemed she'd managed to slip on her underwear and sweater sometime last night, probably because it was cold. She redressed as much as possible, only leaving off the long underwear since she knew would over heat. As she went to inspect her reflection, an unexpected movement from outside the window caught her eye.

The second story bathroom window faced the barn, and at first Gwen thought it must have just been a bird flying by that distracted her. It was a clear morning and she didn't immediately see anything unusual. After a minute, however, she watched as the barn door opened and a man slipped out into the light.

Her first thought was that Scott's parents had come home early, causing her to panic. She quickly realized her mistake as she observed the man, who seemed to be in no hurry to leave. He was much too young to be Scott's dad and his skin was darker. What was really off, however, were his clothes. The barn was far enough away from the house that she couldn't see their details, but she could tell they weren't in the best condition — and there was a large patch of red on the front.

Gasping, Gwen ducked down out of sight; suddenly afraid he could see her. Maybe that's why he hadn't left: He was trying to figure out if he could get into the house. Did he know they were there? Could he hear them? Pulse racing, she dialed Damon without thinking.

And was sent straight to voicemail.

"Damon," she whispered, afraid to wake the others or have the mystery vampire hear her. "I'm at Scott's farm and just saw a vampire come out of the barn. He was covered in blood. I think the others escaped from the tomb. His clothes look really old."

She experienced a sinking feeling as she spoke, realization dawning on her. From what she'd learned from Damon, feeding on animals wasn't preferred by most vampires unless they were desperate. And it made more sense, especially with the spell being too much for Shelia and Bonnie, for him to be from the tomb than some random vampire that just wandered into town. They could not catch a break today.

A knock at the bathroom door stopped her from continuing her message. Hanging up, she called out, "Yes?"

"Are you ok in there?" Scott asked, his voice just above a whisper. Caroline and Matt must still be asleep.

"Y-yeah, fine," she said, her voice still shaking. "I'll be out in a minute."

As his footsteps faded away, she texted Caroline to wake up and take her home. Gwen went as far as calling and hanging up after the third ring to ensure her friend woke up. She needed to get out of here, and fast.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, she was back in the passenger's seat of Caroline car. A very disgruntled Caroline sitting next to her. Gwen's urgent behavior had confused everyone. She was pretty sure Matt thought she might be crazy. Good, she thought, maybe he'd convince Scott to dump her. That would make everything better. The poor boy had looked at her like a lovesick puppy all morning despite her very evident desire to leave. He hadn't even been phased when her good-bye had included an awkward, one-armed hug.

"Are you going to tell me why we had to leave at the crack of dawn?" Caroline grumbled.

"I told you, I have to get home before Ric realizes I'm not in my own bed."

Gwen silently thanked the powers that be that Ric had an established history of being a strict guardian. Sometimes, it really came in handy.

"Did it occur to you that he may not be home? He is dating Elena's aunt."

"All the more reason to get home early," Gwen said nonchalantly. Caroline hmm'd, a small smirk playing on her lips.

"Are you sure there's not another reason?" she teased. "Something happen last night that you want to talk about about?"

Caroline laughed while Gwen fought to stop from visibly squirming. She felt bad enough. She didn't want to risk embarrassing Scott by telling Caroline the truth. Instead, Gwen let Caroline's laughter fade to silence, which pretty much answered Caroline's question. For once, she didn't pry, and Gwen was grateful.

Fifteen minutes later, they pulled up to her house. Caroline had been right: Ric must have spent the night at the Gilberts' because his car was missing. Gwen felt a little relieved, at least something was going her way. She thanked Caroline for the ride and hopped out. Waving good-bye, she watched as her friend's car disappeared down the road. When she turned to go inside, she immediately stopped in her tracks: Damon was sitting on the porch steps.

He must have walked here as she didn't see his car anywhere. Slowly, she walked up to him, trying to judge his mood. His was was stoic, but Gwen could see distress in eyes and the slump of his shoulders. Despite the act, it was clear he was hurting.

Gwen sat down next to him and waited for him to say something. When he didn't, she started, "I know Katherine wasn't in the tomb, but she has to be somewhere. We'll —"

Damon laughed humorlessly. Turning his head slightly to face her, he said, "She's not trapped anywhere. She's been the free this whole time. She…"

His voice broke and he dropped his head so she couldn't she his face. Gwen felt yet another deep, sympathetic pain in her heart. Katherine had never been trapped. She could have found him at any time. He certainly hadn't made his goal a secret. She hadn't sought him out because she didn't want him.

Gwen had no words to event attempt to comfort him with. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him and laid her head against his. She'd half-expected him to push her away, and was surprised when he sunk into her, welcoming the embrace. They sat there; the blinding light and quietness of the morning creating a small world that only included the two of them.

* * *

**AN: So we had a little from Damon's POV here. I might switch back to him again sometime; I haven't planned that far. Hope you enjoyed the extra long chapter!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter ****12**

Blaring music seeped out of the brick walls of the Salvatore Boarding House as Gwen walked from the driveway to the front door. Damon was having another drunken, bury-his-feelings episode. Gwen only hoped she wasn't about to walk in on him feeding from a group of sorority girls again. That had been a distressing encounter, for many reasons. When she reached the door, she let herself in, too angry to bother being polite.

"Damon!" she yelled, slamming the door behind her. "I told you to stop compelling my boss to give me days off! I actually do need the money."

She'd reached the open living room, but saw no sign of him or, thankfully, any bleeding college students. With a huff, she dropped her bag to the floor and folded her arms, taking in the state of the room. The open liquor bottles on the coffee table told her he was probably still here. Plus, cancelling her work shift had become his way of saying, "meet me at the boarding house." She knew he was here; she just had to find him.

"Don't worry," a voice drawled. Gwen's eyes were drawn upward to the second floor, where Damon was casually standing on the banister, black shirt half-unbuttoned and a glass of amber liquid in one hand. Gwen ignored how attractive he was in his disheveled state, focusing on her anger, instead.

"Why not?" she demanded. "This is the third time I've shown up for work and been told I had the day off. You can't keep doing this."

Damon rolled his eyes, bored by her good girl act. She didn't have to be responsible all the time.

"You'll get paid. Now," he said, pausing mid-sentence and suddenly appearing in front of her. Startled, Gwen took a step back and relaxed her stance. "Let's do something fun."

He took her hands and pulled her to him, swaying slowly and then picking up the pace. Gwen protested at first, but quickly fell into embarrassed laughter. She was so absorbed in their ridiculous dancing that she didn't notice Stefan was there until Damon spun her around while muttering something about "Buzzkill Bob." Stefan turned down the music until it reached a level that would have been acceptable for a coffeehouse. Damon hadn't released her, so they stood there with her back pressed into his back and his hand on her waist. She was thankful her face was already flushed from the dancing, or else her embarrassed blush would have been very noticeable.

"Another surprise day off?" Stefan asked, eyebrow raised. Though Gwen had allowed herself to be caught up in the moment, she and Stefan were concerned about Damon's self-destructive way of dealing with the Katherine situation. His façade of nonchalance fooled no one. Stefan was also concerned about who else he hurt in his spiral. Finding Gwen at the house didn't make him happy.

"Apparently," she said breathily. Then pointedly added, "Hoping it will be the last time this week."

Damon hummed in her ear. "We'll see."

"Actually, I was hoping to talk to you about the history project. Do you mind if I borrow you for a moment?" he asked her, though he looked at Damon when he spoke. He was too casual, Gwen thought. The last two times he'd found her in the house, he'd practically pushed her out the door to get here away from Damon's ruinous ways. His relaxed response was too out of character.

"I guess I could use a drink," Damon replied, releasing her. "But don't talk about me too long. I didn't give her the day off to talk _you_."

Damon was oddly smug about his deduction as he practically sauntered over to his stockpile of alcohol. Gwen rolled her eyes and followed Stefan outside, far enough away from the house that Damon couldn't overhear them.

"What is it?" she asked when they came to a stop. Now that they were away from Damon, she couldn't help but notice his concerned expression.

"I was wondering," Stefan started, slightly hesitant, "how much does Damon know about your aunt?"

Gwen's brows furrowed. "Not much, I never gave him a name or showed him a picture. I figured the who wouldn't matter much to him. All I told him was that my uncle was pretty sure he killed my aunt and was out for revenge. I promised to help him with Katherine if he left him alone, even if Ric figured it out. Why?"

"I don't think she's told many people, but the Gilberts were Elena's adoptive parents. For a while now, she's been trying to find out about her birth parents. Jenna just tracked down her mother: A woman named Isobel who grew up about an hour from Mystic Falls," he explained, careful to keep his voice low.

Gwen felt as though she'd been punched in the gut. Shaking, she slowly lowered herself to sit on a nearby stone bench. The cold from the stone seeped through her jeans, but she ignored it.

"You think Elena's mother was my aunt? That's —"

"Crazy? I know, but Ric confirmed it when Jenna showed him the picture she found of Isobel from high school. It's true."

Stefan sat down next to her, letting his words sink in. This was insane. Though, the longer she thought about it, the less insane it became. The whole reason she and Ric were in Mystic Falls was so he could avenge her death. The fact that she had a secret child was surprising, definitely not something Gwen would have pictured, but not weird that said child lived in the same town.

"Ok, so what?" Gwen said, trying to make this revelation seem like nothing. "Isobel's still dead. Maybe when Ric is over the initial shock of finding out she kept something else from him, he'll talk to Elena about her. Honestly though, Elena's better off not knowing anything. This doesn't have to be a life-destroying thing."

"Ric doesn't suspect Damon. He knows it was Damon that killed Isobel. He's known since he met Damon at the dance," Stefan said, dropping another bomb.

This time, Gwen felt like she was going to be sick. All of this Isobel stuff was only going to spin up her uncle. He'd probably do something stupid, like go after a vampire and get killed. And with Damon being more of a wildcard than usual, she couldn't count on him not to attack or even goad Ric into doing something stupid. Taking a deep breath to reign in her panic, she stood and faced Stefan.

"Does Elena know about Damon's connection to Isobel?"

"No," Stefan answered, ducking his head. "I don't know how to tell her. She'd be devastated."

Gwen rolled her eyes. He'd had no problem running off to update Ric, who actually knew Isobel, but lets only worry about Elena's feelings. She signed, putting aside how irritating Stefan was when it came to Elena.

"Good. Don't let her or Damon learn anything else," she directed. Stefan's eyes widened in surprise at her sudden businesslike manner, but he didn't comment on it. "I will go home and deal with my uncle. I'll try to talk him out of whatever he might be planning to do."

"All right," Stefan said, though his voiced lacked conviction. Gwen gritted her teeth. All he had to do was keep quiet. It wasn't that hard. "What are you going to tell Damon?"

"That I have to go home because Ric wants the car to drive over to the auction-fundraiser-thing," she said with a shrug. Once again, her uncle served as the perfect excuse. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't going to end well.

Her confidence ebbed slightly. There were too many factors to control. Her voice much softer than a moment before, she asked, "Can I count on you Stefan? I can't lose my uncle over this."

"You won't," Stefan promised, though his tone was more determined than certain.

As they walked back to the house, both of them secretly thought that maybe they were overreacting. Gwen reasoned that Damon would keep his word; she hadn't broken their deal. Stefan was sure that Gwen meant more to Damon than he claimed, and didn't think he'd risk his one good relationship. Maybe, just maybe, they were worrying over nothing.

* * *

The door slammed shut louder than she had ended. Dropping her bag, Gwen waited for a response. When Ric didn't call out, she climbed the stairs to the second floor where he was probably getting ready. As she walked, she took deep, calming breaths. She couldn't understand why he hadn't told her that he knew about Damon and Isobel the other night. They'd said they would be honest. Given that she had deduced most of it for herself, he could have told her he knew. Gwen found him in his room, standing in front of his dresser mirror and attempting to put on his tie.

Spotting her in the reflection, he said, "You'd better get ready fast if you want a ride over to the fundraiser. Jenna's saving you a seat. From what she says, you'll get a great view of my public humiliation."

When she failed to laugh along at his joke, he let the ends of his fail on his shoulders and turned to face her. Gwen leaned against the doorframe, arms folded and an expression on her face that told him she was preparing for something unpleasant.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Instead of answering, she responded with her own question.

"When were you going to tell me that you knew Damon was the vampire responsible for Isobel's death?" she asked, her tone hostile.

Ric blinked dumbly as he processed her question, and that she was still keeping secrets. Turning back to the mirror, he resumed fixing his tie.

"I could ask you the same," he said between gritted teeth. His anger probably matched hers in that moment, and he was fighting it to try to be the mature adult. "And I didn't tell you because I didn't want you involved. He's dangerous, unhinged."

Gwen rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe he was calling someone else unhinged when he was out here plotting revenge.

"How do you even know it's him?" she challenged.

"I came home and saw him that night," Ric explained, fumbling with tie. "I recognized him. How did you figure this out? And why didn't you come to me?"

"From yours and Isobel's research," she said matter-of-factly, though the intense anger in her eyes didn't lessen. "I didn't want you to do something like, I don't know, try to kill a vampire, so I made a deal with Damon: He leaves you alone no matter what, and I help him with his goal to get his girlfriend out of the tomb."

Ric lost it then. Forgetting about the tie, he spun around to face her again. His face was contorted from rage and his fists clenched and unclenched as he tried to reign himself in.

"What the hell, Gwen?" he yelled, unable to control his anger. "That might be the dumbest thing you've ever done! He killed your aunt. He could kill you! What the fuck were thinking?"

"I was thinking I didn't want to lose the only family I had left," she yelled, pushing herself off of the doorframe as angry tears spilled from her eyes. She hated herself from crying, but it happened every time she got this mad.

Ric's stance softened immediately. He closed the space between them, wrapping her in a comforting embrace. As she cried into his shoulder, Gwen noticed she actually felt better. Fighting with Ric was never fun, but at least it was all out there now.

Sniffling, she pulled away and asked, "Did you really think you could kill him? Did you even think about what would happen if you couldn't?"

Sighing, Ric pushed back a strand of wet hair that was sticking to her face. Softly, he said, "No, I didn't. I am still so angry about it. I want answers and, yeah, I want to kill him. But I guess, I forgot to account for a few things. Like how I should be taking care of you."

"Or how you're nowhere never fast enough to take on a vampire," Gwen added, pointedly.

Ric chuckled humorlessly. "Yeah, I guess so."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Gwen blurted, realizing she'd been just as bad. "I just — "

"I get it," Ric said with an understanding smile. "Why don't you stay home? I'll leave you money for pizza, and tell Jenna you're sick or something. You don't have to go to this thing."

Gwen shook her head. "No, I want to. We promised Jenna. I just need fifteen minutes. Besides," she added, a wicked smile playing on her lips, "I was promised public humiliation."

* * *

"You both look nice," Caroline greeted as they stood at the check-in count, waiting on Ric to fill out paperwork for the auction.

"Thanks," Gwen said, nervously tugging on the green sweater she'd chosen to go with her charcoal skirt and black boots. She was definitely underdressed compared to some of the women participating the auction, but she seemed to match the rest of the girls her own age, who were here for support or because they were forced to come. "We miss anything interesting?"

"Only Matt's mom calling me fake and saying she doesn't like me," Caroline pouted, resting her chin in the palm of her hand as she slumped against the table. Gwen made a 'what the hell?' face.

"What a bitch," she commented, momentarily forgetting Ric was there.

He cleared his throat and shot her a warning glance. Handing his paperwork back to Caroline, he said, "If I'm unlucky enough to be won by this woman, I'll be sure to talk you up to her."

Caroline smiled, her cheeks flushing slightly from embarrassment. "Thanks, Mr. Saltzman. You better head back stage, they'll be starting soon. Gwen, Jenna's just around the corner."

"See you later," Gwen said, waving to them both as they went in different directions.

She rounded the corner and immediately spotted Jenna and Elena sitting at a small circular table in perfect view of the stage. Carefully, she navigated her way between the narrow space between tables. Gwen tripped over a chair leg just as she reached the table but, thankfully, it was barely noticeable and she was able to catch herself by grabbing onto the back of the empty chair in front of her.

"Sorry we're late," she said, pulling out the chair and taking a seat. Both Jenna and Elena smiled in greeting. Gwen was surprised to see how genuine Elena's seemed. They hadn't really talked since the night of the tomb, and even those communications had been short. Gwen had thought Elena didn't trust her since she'd been helping Damon, but maybe she was over that. Or maybe she was just really good at pretending.

"Oh, don't worry," Jenna reassured her with a dismissive wave of her hand. "These things never start on time. I'm just happy you guys actually showed. Carol Lockwood would never let it go if I had the bachelor that bailed."

"Sheriff Forbes is the one who has to worry about that," Elena chimed in, pausing to take a sip of her soda. "Stefan says she asked Damon to be one of the bachelors."

"Really?" Gwen asked, her tone a mix of surprise and skepticism. Surely unleashing Damon on some unsuspecting woman hoping for a nice date wasn't the best idea. Elena hummed and gave Gwen a knowing look.

"Just as long as I don't get him," Jenna sighed, oblivious to the silent conversation between the two teen girls.

Gwen smirked, suddenly amused. "I'm sure Ric is hoping the same thing. Can you imagine him actually going a date from this, except with Jenna," Gwen added. "He'd be so awkward."

All three burst into laughter, drawing some looks from neighboring tables. The quieted quickly, however, as Mrs. Lockwood ascended the chairs to the stage and called for everyone's attention. The first ten minutes were extremely boring. It was all about what the money would go to and thanking all the people who had helped put on this event. Finally, it was time for the drawing.

Mrs. Lockwood began with bachelor number one, some blond man who was a local plumber. Gwen thought she read his bio in a way that much too flirty for the wife of the mayor. By the whispers around them, she wasn't the only one who thought so. She even caught Elena and Jenna exchange a look. The first man matched with Kelly Donovan. As she passed by their table, already unsteady from too much alcohol, Gwen felt a surge of anger toward her. She had an unexpected desire to lash out and hurt the woman who had been so cruel to her friend. The feeling passed quickly, leaving her ashamed of her reaction, which had gone unnoticed by her companions.

Jenna rolled her eyes when Mrs. Lockwood turned her attention to Ric. When he blanked on a fun history fact to share, they couldn't help but giggle. While Gwen's and Elena's laughter was a mix of amusement and pity, Gwen could tell Jenna's was different. Her was were soft as she watched him onstage; clearly thinking his fumble was adorable. Gwen turned her attention back to the stage before Jenna caught her watchful stare. She was glad Ric had found Jenna; she was so much better for him than Isobel.

Mrs. Lockwood had moved onto to Damon now, and something about his smug expression made chills run down Gwen's spine. She sat up straighter, alert and waiting. She caught the smirk before his first taunt to Ric, and her heart sank. She was so focused on watching Damon goad Ric that she missed Elena's reaction. It wasn't until she was excusing herself from the table that Gwen clued into the fact that Stefan had told her everything. Jenna stared after her niece, equally confused and concerned.

"I'll go check on her," Gwen offered, standing up from the table. "Um, will you make sure Ric is ok? He's still pretty sensitive about all this Isobel stuff."

Jenna nodded. "I'll meet you both by the entrance."

Gwen nodded and headed off in the direction that Elena had gone. However, she had no intention of finding or checking on Elena. She'd notice Stefan run out after her; Elena would be fine. Damon, not so much.

She found him behind the makeshift stage, downing yet another glass of alcohol. He had to be well into the double digits when it came to drinks today. Making sure there was no one around, she closed the distance between them.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded, snatching the glass from his hands.

"It was just a joke," he said, amusement and condescension all in one breath. "He's still alive. I kept my promise."

"Actually, the deal was that you leave him alone no matter," Gwen said, folding her arms in front of her. Her body tensed from the effort it took to contain her rage. She even had to clench her teeth to keep herself from yelling at him. Afraid she may break the glass, Gwen set it down on the nearest hightop.

Damon rolled his eyes, no longer entertained by her frustration. "Relax, she's not worth all of this drama, trust me."

"Just because you're hurting, doesn't mean you get to make everyone else miserable," Gwen snapped, losing a little of her control. Suddenly, the glass on the hightop shattered, pieces flying in different directions, but Gwen didn't even notice. Instead she continued on her rage-fueled rant. "You know, I don't think you ever really loved Katherine. If you did, you'd understand what it's like to lose someone, and you wouldn't treat people like this."

She spun around before he could respond or see an angry tear fall, leaving a stunned Damon standing in the shadows of the stage. Recovering from force of her outburst, Damon focused his attention on something that wasn't him, unwilling to examine his feelings at that moment. The glass exploding hadn't gone unnoticed by him, and that was something he could handle. Damon picked up a shard of the shattered glass, thinking he may have underestimated Gwen after all.

* * *

Jenna was waiting at the front of the restaurant like they'd agreed. Her worried eyes searched the crowed, but for who Gwen couldn't be sure. When she spotted Gwen walking toward her, Jenna's worry increased, though now there was a tinge of confusion mixed in.

"Where's my uncle?" she asked, her voice unexpectedly hoarse.

"He had to leave," Jenna said slowly. "I thought he went to get …."

There was a heavy, sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Was Ric going to go after Damon, even after he'd promised not to? She pulled out her phone and tried to call him while Jenna watched, her concern growing. There was no answer. Thinking quickly, Gwen came up with a story to explain his absence. She needed to find Stefan.

"He's probably just out clearing his head," she said, affecting a manner that implied she thought he was being ridiculous. "He's still figuring out how to deal with the Isobel situation. I can walk home."

"Are you sure?" Jenna asked, already moving to put on her coat. "I'm happy to drop you off as soon as I find Elena."

"No, it's ok," Gwen said, hoping her carefree smile was believable. She could hear her pulse in her ears as goosebumps rose on her skin from a sensation that was both warm and cool. If she didn't find Stefan soon, she was going to lose it. "I'll be fine."

Not giving Jenna a chance to argue, Gwen slipped past her and out the door. The freezing night air did little to calm her, as her mind raced trying to figure out how to find Stefan. Miraculously, all she had to do was look around. Stefan and Elena were about twenty feet from her. Their heads bowed together in a private conversation. Attempting to maintain a calm exterior, Gwen took measured steps over them.

"Hey," she greeted, sounding almost too cheery. They broke a part, looking at her expectantly. Turning to Elena, she said, "Jenna's waiting for you just inside."

"Oh, um," Elena mumbled, throwing a look at Stefan. Gwen wasn't quite sure what she was trying to communicate, but she hoped he missed it.

"You better go. I'll call you in a bit."

Elena looked a little disappointed, but nodded in agreement. She kissed Stefan on the cheek and left to go find her aunt. Gwen rounded on Stefan the second she was out of sight.

"We need to go to the Boardinghouse. Now."

Stefan's brows furrowed. Her racing pulse had been enough to tell him she was upset. The urgency in her voice, however, only added to his confusion and set him on edge. Surely, she couldn't be worried about Damon after what he'd just done.

"Ric's gone after Damon," she explained. Eyes widening in comprehension, he nodded and led her behind the building where he'd parked.

Fifteen minutes later, they were flying down the deserted country road at speed that was at least thirty miles over the posted limit. Gwen had never been more thankful for living in a small town with a lax police department. The last thing they needed was to be pulled over, even if Stefan could have compelled his way out of it. Every second mattered.

Gwen sighed as she hung up the phone for the hundredth time. Ric either didn't have his phone or he was ignoring her or …. She shook her head, banishing the thought. He didn't have that much of a head start on them. They could get there and deescalate the situation before either man took it too far. Gwen couldn't help but think it was futile to expect Damon to keep his word, especially after her outburst.

"We're almost there," Stefan said, breaking the silence.

His voice was too calm for her. She supposed he wasn't too worried about losing Damon. A vampire against a human was far from a fair match after all. Still, she wished he'd at least feign concern for Ric. Knowing she'd only say something hurtful, Gwen remained silent. She kept her focus on the road, looking for the Boardinghouse. A couple of minutes later, it peaked through the trees, looking as welcoming as ever with all the external lights on. Yet, Gwen's feeling of foreboding only increased

Gwen had unbuckled her seatbelt and was opening the door before Stefan had even put the car in park. He sprang out of the car, running to catch up to her. If things hadn't been so dire, Stefan would have been impressed by how well she ran in her heeled boots. With ease, he was able to get in front and stop her sprint, though he had to hold her in place.

"Listen," he said sternly, drawing her attention from the door to him. "Stay behind me. If … just stay behind me, ok?"

Gwen hesitated for half a second, annoyed that he thought she couldn't take care of herself. Still, she knew he wouldn't let her in if she din't agree. She gave a curt nod and hereleased her. She caught the grim set of his lips before he turned around and led her to the door at pace that could have made her scream. Taking a breath he didn't need, he opened the heavy wooden door and let them inside to the dimly lit hall.

Immediately, Gwen noticed how quiet the house was. If Ric was here, there would be yelling. Maybe, she thought hopefully, maybe she had overreacted and Ric wasn't here. Stefan didn't bother with any lights as they walked down the dark hallway to main room. Rounding the corner, Gwen saw Damon lounging on the couch with a drink in hand and looking pensively down at ….

She screamed and rushed past Stefan to the center of the room where the unmoving body of her uncle lay. Gwen fell to the ground and began trying to find a pulse. The bloodstain in the center of his chest and glassy eyes should have told her it was too late. But she couldn't see them in her panic.

"No, no," she whispered through her tears as she slowly began to realize it was too late. "Please wake up!"

Stefan kneeled next to her, but didn't try to help. He knew it was too late. His eyes travelled up to Damon, who had stood up from the couch but remained frozen in place a foot away from it. Stefan was surprised to see conflict in his brother's eyes. He'd never known Damon to regret killing someone. He was usually quite proud of his kills. But now, Stefan was sure he saw remorse.

"Gwen," Damon started, searching for what to say.

Gwen's head snapped up upon hearing her name. Despite her red, tear-streaked face, she managed a look that made both brothers flinch. Slowly, she stood, her body shaking with rage.

Damon tried again, though it was obvious he still had no idea what to say. "Gwen, I'm —"

"No!"

The word came out as a heartbroken screech as she lunged at Damon. Stefan intercepted her. He knew she couldn't hurt his brother with her human strength, but he'd also been the only one to notice all the glass in room shaking. In her current emotional state, Stefan speculated that she was capable of some serious damage.

"Get out of here," he said to Damon, as he kept Gwen restrained in the an awkward embrace.

Despite being a human, Stefan was having to work to keep a hold on her. Damon didn't move; his eyes still locked on Gwen. He still seemed to be trying to find a way to spin this, opening and closing his mouth several times. The rattling glass broke through his stupor, though that only served to make him move forward.

"No! Go!" Stefan yelled.

Gwen was clearly losing over her magic. If Damon didn't leave, she might kill them both. Finally, Damon understood and left, though it seemed like a Herculean effort for him to do so. A slamming door told Stefan that Damon had gone out the back. As soon as he was gone, the glass stopped rattling and Gwen fell against him. She recovered quickly from her moment of exhaustion and pulled away from Stefan, stumbling back over to Ric's body.

Gwen stared helplessly at what had been her uncle. She hadn't seen her mother after she died. She had been at school, and then her mother's body had cremated. At the time, Gwen had been upset that she hadn't been able to see her one last time. Now, however, she was grateful she didn't have to live with the image of her mother's lifeless body. The vision of Ric's death would stay with her forever.

She saw Stefan kneel down on the other side of Ric. He assessed the body; cold, analytical, and distant. He was figuring out how to cover up the death. She ignored him, unable to focus on anything. Her heart ached with such grief that she could barely breath. It was as if she had her own gaping wound in her chest. She was all alone now. The last of her family killed by someone she thought she could trust.

Tears streamed down her face, her sobs and the crackling fire the only sounds in the room. At least Stefan was letting her be. She didn't want to be comforted right now. She wanted to be left to wallow in her grief. His open, glassy stare began to bother her, so Gwen made to close Ric's eyelids. Her hand was less than an inch from his face when Ric jerked up, gasping for air.

Gwen jumped back, an unintelligible yell of surprise escaping her. Stefan acted faster, moving to help the struggling Ric into a sitting position. His shocked expression was enough to tell Gwen that he was just as lost as she was by her uncle's resurrection.

"How?" Stefan asked, completely dumbstruck.

Ric shook his head, just as bewildered. He and Stefan both inspected the stab wound, but it was gone. Somehow it had healed. Gwen had been frozen, unable to comprehend what was happening. Finally understanding that this was real, she wrapped her arms around Ric's neck and sobbed into his chest.

"I'm so sorry," Ric said soothingly, squeezing her tightly. "My temper got the best of me. I'm so sorry, I put you through that."

Gwen couldn't say anything. She was so relieved to have him back. Taking deep breaths, she pulled away. She needed to get her crying under control. Ric was alive. Everything was all right. Calmer now, she felt her own curiosity about how he was alive.

"You're not a vampire are you?" she asked, trying to observe a physical change.

Ric shook his head. "No, my heart's still beating. I think …." He glanced down at his hand at the gaudy blue ring Isobel had given him. "I think it was the ring. Isobel said it would protect me. She made me promise to never take it off."

Gwen and Ric both glanced at Stefan, as if they expected him to be able to confirm this. He simply shrugged and shook his head.

"I've never heard of such a thing," Stefan said. "A daylight to walk in the sun is one thing, but a ring that brings you back from death? That's impossible."

Sighing, Ric said, "I know. But what other explanation is there?"

Gwen, however, stayed silent. It wasn't impossible. It was magic. From her research, she was certain it was very dark and very old magic.

* * *

**AN: Two updates in two weeks! Don't get used to this though, school starts in 10 days and then I go back to sporadic updates. Thank you to everyone who has favorited and followed this story. A special thanks to Wordspin, PrincessMagic, and Demona Evernight for their reviews!**


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